Co-Creating Green Safe Spaces: Sustainable Futures to Empower Youth and Inclusive Communities

ongoing

The Co-Creating Green Safe Spaces (CGSS) project unites 4 dynamic youth organizations from DK, ES, MW, & ZW in a strong Europe-Africa partnership to empower young people through non-formal education (NFE), sustainability, and social inclusion. By building the capacity of youth organizations and fostering youth-led action, CGSS ensures that young people gain the skills, confidence, and agency to drive change in their communities. The project addresses 2 key challenges faced by young people in rural and marginalized communities: - The need for life skills in sustainability and inclusion – youth require practical tools to tackle social and environmental challenges while shaping more resilient and inclusive communities. - Limited access to youth-friendly, inclusive spaces – many young people, especially those facing discrimination or socio-economic barriers, lack opportunities to participate in community life. To address these challenges, CGSS combines capacity-building, intercultural exchanges, and local youth-led initiatives, namely: - Training youth workers through an international seminar on NFE, equipping organizations with tools to support young people’s learning effectively. - 2 youth exchanges (Spain & Zimbabwe), where young participants collaborate on sustainability and inclusion through hands-on NFE learning. - Local youth participation activities where young people co-create Green Safe Spaces community-based spaces where they can apply newly gained sustainability skills while also shaping the space itself through social dialogue, leadership, and community-driven initiatives. These spaces will serve as hubs for practicing sustainability while fostering dialogue on inclusion, diversity, and participation. Development of two Intellectual Outputs: - A Toolbox on Life Skills, focusing on climate-smart practices, youth participation, and inclusion. - A Guidebook on Green Safe Spaces, providing a replicable model for youth-led sustainabity initiatives.