20 August 2012
Grace Herbert
August 2012
In the first week of August, I was very lucky to get to experience being a part of the Young FoE Europe Summer Camp!
While travelling over land by ferry, bus and train was an adventure in itself, the true adventure began when I arrived at the hostel in Ourense, Galicia and met the other participants of the event. This was my first Young FoE Europe event, but I was not surprised when I was greeted warmly at the door and we all became instant friends.
When we arrived at our true destination which was a sustainable environmental education centre called As Corcerizas, I think we were all astounded by the beauty of the area, hidden away by the forest in the picturesque mountains of Galicia.
Throughout the Summer Camp, our days were filled with incredibly fun and informative workshops, learning from each other about the campaigns going on in each of our countries, brainstorming together and planning ways in which we can work together to become stronger in our campaigns. We shared skills and interests and learned about the eco-education centre we were housed in.
While listening to each of the countries presentations, I began to realise that through each of the countries there seemed to run a common thread, it seemed that no matter which country we were from, most of the environmental issues we each faced were routed in governments preferring to listen to the needs of corporations over their own people, corruption, greed and the blind exploitation of our natural resources, no matter what the cost. While I think the realisation of this was slightly disheartening at first, the more I thought about it, the more I saw ways in which to fight it. People power. I was in Spain, at the Young FoE Europe Summer Camp and surrounded by people that were taking action to change that system, I was part of a network of people that were pulling people together to raise their voices and to make sure that their will is heard. I felt moved by the actions that I heard others had taken and ready to take on the world myself.
Leaving the Summer Camp, I not only came back to Ireland with about forty new friends, but also with a sense of hope and inspiration. I felt empowered by what I had seen and heard while in Spain and ready to bring that back home.
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