Active Youth Planet has a mission to EDUCATE fellow earthlings about sustainability and better choices for the environment & climate. WHY? Because everyone has a part to play in ensuring our planet stays liveable.
Vision
To LEAD the change in climate-friendly behaviour (of citizens, NGOs, businesses) and policies in Lithuania & beyond. Because if not YOU, then WHO?
Daily CO2 emissions of an avg. person
Guide to sustainable events
Are you a climate hero or a villain? If you organise events without considering sustainability, you might be the latter. Yet, worry not, our guide can change that in 1, 2, 3…
Yes, we blog (a lot)
Read about our endeavours in Lithuania, Europe, other continents and online. Also, find world-class educational guides on how to work digitally, get project funding and more.
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What can I do to keep Earth COOL?
Is cycle commute worth it?
It’s worth it. Not only is it a great way to exercise and strengthen your body, but it is an excellent way to reduce CO2 emissions in the environment. Noise pollution is decreased as well. Also, cycling helps to alleviate stress, reduce anxiety and clear your mind.
To sum up, it’s a win-win, both for you and the environment.
Should I eat less meat?
Eating less meat leads to a lower risk of getting diseased and improved health. However, it has a spectacular effect on the environment too. The price of raising animals is stunning – billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, precious water and soil are lost, trees are cut down to make the land for grazing or farm sheds and more.
Thus, it is better to cut down on your meat consumption. A few ideas for alternatives: insect-based proteins, more plant-based meals (e.g. soy products), lab-grown meat, etc.
What is fast fashion? Why is it bad?
Fast fashion is the mass production of cheap, ‘disposable’ clothing. Think about those €5 t-shirts or jeans people buy every 3 months or so.
Why is it bad? The fashion industry makes 80 billion clothes a year. Most of them are not recyclable or donated and get dropped to landfill. It can take up to 200 years for peace of cloth to decompose and this is a way how we pollute our planet.
I'm flying planes. What can I do about it?
- Try to use only direct flights
- Stay at your destination for a longer period of time
- Don’t use business class, private jets and the like
- Pack lightly, take less baggage
- Travel responsibly: drink tap water (check whether it’s OK beforehand), avoid unnecessary plastic, clean the local beach (if you have spare time), etc.
- Offset your CO2 (easy way to do that: Reduce Carbon Footprint – Make a Gift to the Planet this Christmas 💚🌍 (activeyouth.lt))
What is CO2 offsetting? Can it solve climate problems?
In short, it’s a donation to a project that reduces CO2 footprint locally. For example, such projects might be changing light bulbs or stoves for more efficient ones in the developing nations.
Is it an answer to climate problems? It is almost certainly not. A lot needs to change for the planet to stop and reverse global warming. Not least in the way we act as individuals and societies. Carbon offsets are an imperfect substitute, a small step towards the bigger goal. And, it is surely not enough. Yet, even little steps matter.
Everyone
Meet Active Youth Planet
Legal name: Asociacija “Aktyvus jaunimas”
HQ: Naugarduko g. 32/2, Vilnius, Lithuania
Since: 2014
We speak: 🇬🇧 🇱🇹 🇪🇸 🇵🇱
E-mail: exchange@activeyouth.lt
Tel: +37064849302
Message: Me, you & the planet 🌍
This is our home, office & playground
Shall we keep it as it is?Like what we do? Let’s get in touch
Others found useful: EU project writing | Learning for NGOs | Blog | CO2 offsetting | Work @ AY | Privacy policy
| National Agency identification | Agency of International Youth Co-operation, Lithuania (LT02) |
| Organisation full legal name | Asociacija “Aktyvus Jaunimas” |
| Acronym | AJ |
| National id | 303244347 |
| ESC accreditation | 2016-1-LT02-KA110-004956 / 2020-1-LT02-ESC52-007046 |
| DUNS number | 365884752 |
| NCAGE code | 014HR |
| PIC number / OID | 947299382 / E10165227 |
Legal representative / Contact person
| First name | Gediminas |
| Family name | Kondrackis |
| Position | Director |
| mobility@activeyouth.lt | |
| Telephone | +37064331871 |
Brief description
Active Youth Planet (AYp) is a climate-focused team of Active Youth Association (AY) – a for-purpose organisation working with youth and communities in need in Lithuania and across borders.
- AYp mission is to educate people about sustainability and better choices for the climate
- AYp vision: to lead the change in climate-friendly behaviour (of citizens, NGOs, businesses) and policies in Lithuania
AY has been actively involved in local and international (youth) projects since 2014. Up until now, the organization has successfully implemented (getting just the highest scores from the evaluators) more than 60 separate project actions on its own (and several times that as a partner). What is more, our NGO has built up a large partnership network worldwide (more than 700 organisations) and belongs to Lithuania’s Youth Board (LiJOT) (a platform for dialogue with decision-makers). All of that can be used for the current project.
In whatever activity we carry out, we follow our 3 core principles:
- Sustainability – seeking sustainable impact over the long-term
- Compassion – being open & compassionate to target groups & other stakeholders
- Can-do attitude – seeing opportunities rather than problems
Surely, it’s easy to list these values on paper and a lot harder to follow them through in real life.
That is why we focus extensively on having the right team for every project. The people we will be working with (in the current project) are professionals with relevant experience and a record of success (whether in youth work and/or environment/climate fields). We also rely on a deep pool of volunteers (over 1000) and potential partners to ensure: 1) the project’s implementation goes smoothly; 2) the dissemination efforts reach the specified target groups.
The projects AYp takes on, as a rule, focus on demanding and sensitive issues (e.g. plastic waste). Hence, we look forward to the challenges offered by the current project.
Relevant experience & activities
Active Youth Association has lengthy experience in running Erasmus+ projects. Therefore, we know how to chip in at all the steps of the project, starting with the application itself and finishing with result dissemination. We have carried out projects that have focused on ecology, cycling, food waste and others (see below).
Sustainable development is our greatest aspiration and non-formal education is a key to promote it. AYp is encouraging young people to take action and lead eco-lifestyle by:
- raising awareness and building capacity among youth on climate change;
- Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour;
- enhancing international cooperation and knowledge-sharing among organisations;
- strengthening the participation of youth in environmental and climate decision-making processes.
A few concrete examples:
- Erasmus+ youth exchange “Eco-Friendly Europe”, united young adults to tackle/address environmental problems that are acute in the participating countries. Participants were discussing and searching solutions for making our lives more sustainable and friendlier to the environment.
- Erasmus+ youth exchange “Cycle and the City” mission was to promote cycling as a healthy, sustainable and fun alternative to cars.
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of youth “Save The Ocean” has a goal to take a small step towards better habits & cleaner ocean. It raises awareness about existing issues and involves youth into the creation of a sustainable world
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of youth “The Circle of Fashion” – The project aim is to introduce people to sustainable/ethical fashion, conscious clothing and to show possible ways to protect the environment.
- Erasmus+ KA205 “Wear(e)able” supports the wave of commitment by young people and focuses on environmental protection with the issue of sustainable clothing.
- F*CK CO2 platform – It’s a platform that allows you to donate to a project that reduces our CO2 footprint by hundreds of thousands of kilograms.
Our aim is, by definition, to not just address the issue, but also inform the local communities about 1) the benefits of such projects; and 2) the seriousness of the issues being brought to light. For that reason, AYp pays attention to every detail and carries out the full spectrum of activities – from early research to implementation and result dissemination. Such an approach & competencies are relevant for any project.
Expertise of the key persons involved
The key person involved in this application is the board member of AY – Gediminas Kondrackis. He is accompanied by other staff of the association, who all have international experience.
Our staff are young leaders, who developed during their studies & life in different European countries. This has not only given them a strong (formal and non-formal) educational basis but has also taught them how to communicate with people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.
The key staff involved have been part of all the previous activities of the association. Therefore, they have the necessary knowledge to chip into the current project as well.
Through their other endeavours, they have:
- Led seminars for youth about Eco-friendly living
- Educated youth about Erasmus+ & ESC opportunities
- Organized international competitions, social inclusion events of foreigners to the local community, and several sports events encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
- In addition, they have participated in previous ‘Youth in Action’ & Erasmus+ youth exchanges, training courses about ecological sustainability and other environmental initiatives.
All of this has given them a range of skills and competencies usable for the current project.