Even younger Friends of the Earth!

Yesterday myself and two others from the Young FoE team, Grace and Jamie, had the pleasure of meeting with two environmental youth groups based right here in Dublin City. The first was Global Action Project (GAP) based in Ballymun which has strong ties to the local regeneration project and the second, ECO UNESCO, a group working right in the hub of the city center.

The three groups met in the hope that we could learn from each others experiences, share new ideas and work together in the near future. But really, we weren't too sure what to expect. Little did we know that we would find ourselves in absolute awe of the projects run by both groups and feel utterly inspired by their enthusiasm and zeal for climate justice.

In particular we were exhilarated by the videos that each had prepared. One told the story of ECO UNESCO’s team of Youth Top Gardeners and how they transformed a dull and dreary office rooftop into a bright and beautiful haven of sustainable growth and recycled materials. Another video made by GAP during their trip to Norway for a conference illustrated rather beautifully some of the joys of intercultural exchanges and European citizenship. Both videos were vibrant, fun, dramatic and thought provoking.

Following the presentations of each group and our own, we began brainstorming for ways in which we could all work together. Some of the ideas were sensational and it’s not an exaggeration to say that we walked back to the office feeling genuinely excited. As you know Young FoE typically works with individuals between the ages of 18-30, but the prospect of extending this age range to include these teenagers who are so eager to both learn and mobilise has opened up a whole new window of opportunities for us.

We’ll be making contact with them again very soon indeed and will be posting our plans as soon as they’re finalised!