Mindchangers Next Generation in Turin with projects from all six EU regions
More than 400.000 euros will go to eleven projects from the EU Mindchangers campaign.
Stuttgart, December 22, 2022.
As part of the project funding for the EU Mindchangers project, eleven innovative projects are being funded with a total of around 403.200 euros. The focus is on the engagement of young people in the areas of climate change, climate justice and migration. The projects start in January under the umbrella of the EU Mindchangers campaign, which is coordinated by the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation and the State Ministry.
Creative projects across the entire country are supported. In the project “Vivas! Youth art performance” by EPiZ Reutlingen, young people from Göppingen and Argentina deal with the consequences of climate change, global responsibility and climate justice as part of an artistic video project. In the “MyanmarMobil” from Weitblick Freiburg e. V. goes “Culture on Tour” with a cargo bike and a trailer through various municipalities in the country. Films, lectures and exhibitions are about Myanmar and what migration and climate change have to do with us. In Rottenburg, with the combined efforts of the city, youth representatives, integration advisory board, university and young people, a construction trailer is being expanded sustainably and resource-efficiently into a contact point and a meeting place for young people from a wide range of cultures. The project aims at respectful and peaceful coexistence and concrete offers and support for young engagement.
State Secretary Rudi Hoogvliet, who is responsible for development policy in the state government, sees strengthening young commitment with a view to implementing the UN 2030 Agenda and the state's development policy as a central task. “We need young people, their creativity, motivation and participation, especially in development policy and international cooperation,” emphasized Hoogvliet. “I am very pleased that many young people here in Baden-Württemberg are actively committed to global justice and equal coexistence.”
The Mindchangers funding projects:
- Culture on Tour – MyanmarMobile from Weitblick Freiburg e.V.
- A construction trailer for everyone! from the youth department of the city of Rottenburg
- Talk-To-Me: Generation of Global Citizens – We change perspectives from CaPoA Freiburg e.V.
- Climate Stories from Fairventures Worldwide FVW gGmbH, Stuttgart
- Climate crisis on our doorstep & solutions for tomorrow from the Friends of the Black Forest National Park e.V., Seebach/Ruhestein
- Regional Youth Sustainability Lab from the Association of Mongolian Academics e.V., Stuttgart/Schwäbisch Hall
- Change your Mind – Turn the Tide from Aktion Third World e.V. / iz3w, Freiburg
- Vivas! Youth art performance on the topic of climate change from EPiZ Reutlingen
- Yes we can protect the climate! Young migrants make climate protection tangible from Uthukumana Afrika e.V., Heidelberg
The projects were assessed by an independent award committee and recommended from a total of 17 applications for funding in the EU Mindchangers project. The central activity of Mindchangers is the awarding of project funding to strengthen the commitment of young people to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in the two areas of climate change and migration. Mindchangers aims to mobilize young people as active agents of change at local and international levels. It is also about new strategies on how to reach young people and win them over to issues of sustainable development.
Pan-European Mindchangers campaign is having an impact
The project “Mindchangers: Regions and Youth for Planet and People”, funded by the European Union, started in October 2020 in six regions of Europe and will run until September 2024. A total of 8,4 million euros is available to support young commitment. In Baden-Württemberg, the State Ministry and the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation are jointly supporting young people in their commitment to climate justice, social cohesion and mutual respect and against racism as part of Mindchangers with funding and capacity building. A European communication campaign ensures more visibility. Regional and Europe-wide events create a strong network and the opportunity to cooperate with young people in the regions involved.
The aim is also to improve cooperation between municipalities and civil society organizations, especially with a view to the engagement of young people. On the basis of a scientific study in all project regions, a “Practical Guide” was developed, which will be available in German for municipalities and stakeholders at the beginning of February.
