Youth dialogue on consumption, lifestyles and sustainability
[last updated March 17, 2005 12:00 AM]

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General Information
Partnership website(s)
Expected Timeframe
June 2003 - December 2005
Partners
Governments:
  • Government of Germany - Ministry of Environment
  • Government of Mexico - Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources
  • Government of Peru - Ministry of the Environment
Major Groups:
  • Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbz) (Germany)
  • Consumers Defence Association of the Czech Republic (Czech Republic)
  • Centro Europeo Consumatori Bolzano (Italy)
  • Forbrukerradet (Norway)
  • Federacja Konsument˘w (Poland)
  • Romanian Association for Consumer Protection APC (Romania)
  • Association of Consumer Organisations in Slovakia (Slovakia)
  • Association of Slovak Consumers (Slovakia)
  • Escuela Europea de Consumidores (Spain)
  • Consumer Organisation of Mazedonia (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
UN System:
    		Other intergovernmental organizations:
      Other:
        		 
        Thematic Focus
        Primary Themes:
        • Education
        • Institutional framework for sustainable development
        • Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production
        		 Secondary Themes:
        • Agriculture
        • Energy for sustainable development
        • Air pollution / Atmosphere
        • Biotechnology
        • Sustainable development in a globalizing world
        • Climate change
        • Health and sustainable development
        • Poverty eradication
        • Waste management
        • Biodiversity
        • Industrial development
        • Water
        • Tourism
        • Transport
        Geographic Coverage
        Geographic Scope: Global
        Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented:
        Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
        National Focal Points
        At present, no information is available as to whether the partnership has made contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the relevant countries.
        Goals and Objectives
        Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
        Partnership for the creation of an international communication and information platform on sustainable consumption (SC) for youth.
        The partnership will consist of a platform for capacity building on sustainable consumption for schools, local authorities and consumer organisations. Capacity building will be facilitated through the provision of pedagogical materials as well as a of a space ( meetings and a electronic forum) for the exchange of experiences among youth. The project attaches importance to the language used: the concepts and issues related to sustainable consumption as well as sustainable development will be transmitted using visuals, text, youth icons, concrete examples in order to bring closer to the day to day reality of young people. The partners believe that to stimulate critical thinking in young consumers one has to talk to them a language understandable to them and icons they recognise as their own and provide critical material and reliable information rather than "already packaged dos and don'ts"and will operate with the following objectives:
        The partnership is based on a awareness raising and training web-site www.yomag.net and will operate with the following objectives:
        * Provide reliable and integrating information about the concept of sustainable consumption at global level. In particular, provide a critical insight in the global environmental and social impacts and challenges of the current consumption patterns of affluent societies.
        * Offer an online platform" for the exchange of ideas, visions and projects to youth from all over the world.
        * Provide youth, communicators, teachers and consumer organisations with the tools to efficiently communicate about sustainable consumption.
        * Through teachers ans students workshops, allow youth from all over the world to meet, exchange perspectives and experiences on their different consumption patterns and to envision concrete solutions to the imbalances to goods and resources.
        * Establish and link networks of education authorities and other relevant institutions in the field of education and consumer organisations to enable capacity building, awareness raising and mutual understanding of the problems and imbalances linked to current consumption patterns and the solutions to overcome them.
        Targets and Progress
        Partnership targets
        The project will be realised step by step . The regional activities will start as soon as the funding is granted. First module (24 month) will concentrate on the implementation of the partnership's objectives to the region East and Central Europe (new members and candidate countries EU). The activities will be based on the existing yomag.net website and community as well as on youthXchange materials. The online discussions and activities will be in line with the topics of sustainable consumption.
        * Further management of the yomag.net website with special focus on SC issues
        * Collaborative e-learning activities and online discussions on certain topics
        * Building up national networks for education on sustainable consumption in certain central and east European countries
        * Further training seminars for teachers on sustainable consumption on national level, using youthXchange guide and yomag.net as basic tools
        * Workshop on European level to integrate new members in the existing yomag.net community and to develop an action plan for online projects and discussion
        Progress against targets
        Overall project activities. An online forum to exchange information and files has been opened under http://www.yomag.net/foren/w-agora.php?bn=public_youthdialogue

        Modul 1 - an application for financial support to the German Ministry for environment has been successful. Till March 2004 five teacher training seminars were realized in Central and Eastern European countries. In the mean time the website www.yomag.net has been adapted to the needs of the project. A category 'environment' has been opened and got already many articles on questions concerning sustainable consumption written by students.
        The teaching materials are developed in seven languages (E, G, M, R, S, T) and are available for download under http://www.yomag.net/members_only

        Modul 2 - Various translations of the UNEP/UNESCO/CI booklet realized (Spanish, Portuguese); website youthxchange will be finished till August 2004;

        A UNEP/UNESCO Fringe meeting took place at CI World Congress in Lisbon (13-17 October 2003) to familiarize consumers organizations with UNEP/UNESCO youthxchange and invite partnerships between consumer organizations and youth
        Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
        Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
        • Human resources development/training
        • Education/building awareness
        The partnership itself focuses on capacity building and knowledge exchange, rather than "transfer": * The partnership will provide a training kit with information and training method on sustainable consumption. * The partnership will also strengthen the network of the project partners and will enhance synergies for further activities concerning sustainable consumption.
        Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
        How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
        The initiative will assist the implementation of the following chapters of Agenda 21:
        * Chapter 4 - Changing consumption patterns
        * Chapter 25 - Social partners for sustainable development - "youth need to participate in decisions that may affect their future"
        * Chapter 36 - Promoting environmental awareness - "Education is critical for promoting sustainable development..."
        * Chapter 37 - Building national capacity for sustainable development
        * Chapter 38 - Strengthening institutions for sustainable development
        * Chapter 40 - Bridging the data gap- "developing guidelines and mechanism for transfer..." Relevant Sections of Agenda 21
        Changing consumption patterns; Children and youth in sustainable development; Strengthening the role of non-governmental organizations: partners for sustainable development; Promoting education, public awareness and training; National mechanisms and international cooperation for capacity-building in developing countries; International institutional arrangements
        Relevant Sections of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
        Introduction ; Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production ; Strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development at the international  level; Participation of major groups
        Coordination and Implementation
        Coordination Mechanism of the Partnership
        * The partnership activities as a whole are based of the major tool www.yomag.net. From 2005 on this website belongs and is managed by the Czech consumer organisation SOS. A Steering Committee consisting of all partner organisations will only have an advisory role. The Steering Committee will come together when major decisions concerning the partnership as a whole have to be made. Decisions within the steering committee will be made by mutual understanding.
        * The community of partners (consumer organisations listed above) will have the opportunity to follow the project's progress and outcomes through direct communication and involvement in the certain activities.
        Implementation Mechanism of the Partnership
        The partnership creates a link of existing ongoing international and regional activities of intergovernmental organisations (such as UNEP, UNESCO), national governments (Germany) and non- governmental organisations to implement policies and activities towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. The partnership builds upon and adds value to each partner's ongoing projects on education for sustainable consumption.
        Resources
        Funding Currently Available
        Amount in US$: 230000
        Source(s): Government - NGO
        German Ministry for Environment; Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety;
        Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources;
        Federation of German Consumer Organisations;
        Norwegian consumer organisation Forbrukerradet;
        UNEP
        Non-financial resources available
        Type(s): Staff
        Source(s): NGO
        The Consumer organisations of Spain (Escuela Europea de Consumidores), the Norwegian consumer organisation Forbrukerradet and the Italien consumer organisation Centro Europeo Consumatori take part in the projects activties as kind work.
        Funding Sought
        Required Amount in US$: 570000
        Source(s) already approached: The funding for the period of 2003-2005 will be raised from contributions from governments and international organisation such as the European Union.
        Non-financial resources sought
        Requirement(s):
        Source(s) approached and details:
        Additional Information
        Additional Relevant Information
        - Fundraising process turned out to be more difficult as expected;
        - The status "type II partnership" doesn't help that much because it is known only to insiders.