Plant the Future

About the project

Plant the Future responded to some of today's most pressing environmental issues: CO2 emissions, topsoil erosion, climate change, climate anxiety and our disconnection from nature. Its mission was to support a shift from large-scale monoculture to small, local holdings spread throughout cities, reducing net carbon emissions and building ecologically integrated cities with active, aware citizens. Because climate change strains both physical and mental health, the project also set out to move young people from overwhelm to community and everyday solutions.

EMOTiC coordinated the youth exchange, which brought 28 young people from Austria, Greece, Portugal and Romania to Vienna from 15 to 22 May 2022, with six full programme days. The programme was solution-oriented, built around exploring community gardens and reconnecting with nature. The partners were Active Green Solution (Greece), Gerar Oportunidades (Portugal) and Onestin, Asociatia de Tineret (Romania).

The exchange aimed to help participants reconnect with nature and find joy and grounding, build awareness of self-regulation and a sense of community, and turn concerns about environmental topics into practical solutions. It also supported key developmental needs such as self-confidence and authenticity. The programme combined three strands: knowledge of sustainable food systems, practical skills in urban agriculture, and emotional and cognitive practices for mental health, drawing on nature-based practices, mindfulness, psychology and reconnection tools.

Before travelling, each country group researched sustainable practices at home. In Vienna, participants visited the smart city district Seestadt and the community garden Kraut und Blüten, where they also cleaned, watered and planted, and learned from the social enterprise GRÜNSTATTGRAU how rooftops can become community gardens. A day in a park outside the city used all five senses to reflect on everyday habits, and country presentations covered food packaging, food waste, eco-shopping and fast fashion.

On the last day, each country group drafted a local action plan and received feedback from the others, followed by a final evaluation and the Youthpass certificates, which recognise competences gained through non-formal learning.

Follow-up events reached more than 100 people directly. In Austria, a clothes swap on fast fashion reached more than 30 young people and started a Vienna swap group with more than 55 members, and team members joined community gardens in the 2nd, 9th and 15th districts. In Romania, more than 30 students learned about the exchange and planted the seeds from Vienna in what became their school's community garden. The Greek team began planting at its regular clean-up meetings, and in Portugal a cooking workshop showed young people how to shop plastic-free and still cook a delicious meal.

The project set out to show that caring for the planet and caring for our own wellbeing go hand in hand, and that a small, local garden can be a starting point for both.