Project Overview
Project Reference: 2024-1-HR01-KA152-YOU-000226283
Status: Completed
Duration: June 1, 2024 – January 31, 2025
EU Grant: €38,394
Programme: Erasmus+
Action Type: Mobility of Young People
Countries Involved: Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania, Portugal, Turkey, Poland
Background
Today, food waste is one of the biggest global challenges. One third of all food produced is wasted, harming the environment and wasting valuable resources like land, water, and energy. At the same time, many people around the world still live in extreme poverty. Young people often do not realise the true impact of food waste or the importance of a balanced, healthy diet. This project was created to raise awareness, build healthy habits, and inspire positive change.
Objectives
The project aimed to empower young people to make better lifestyle choices. It focused on healthy eating, reducing food waste, and long-term behaviour change. Specific goals included: teaching participants about nutrition and cooking; helping them understand how their food choices affect the environment; and promoting cultural exchange by collecting traditional zero-waste meals from each country. Participants also worked on creative tools such as videos, a recipe book, and a colouring storybook to share knowledge with others.
Implementation
The project included three main phases: preparation, youth exchange, and dissemination. In the preparatory phase, teams researched food habits and built national groups. The youth exchange in Croatia involved 36 participants aged 18–25. They took part in workshops, cooking classes, field trips to local farms and restaurants, video production, and creative activities like storytelling and drawing. In the final phase, participants shared their experience with local communities and online audiences.
Key Activities
Young people explored topics like nutrition, meal planning, and mental health through practical and engaging activities. They cooked healthy meals with no waste, filmed video tutorials, and created a six-episode mini-series for social media. They also contributed to a storybook for kids and a recipe collection with traditional zero-waste meals. Intercultural evenings, teamwork games, and creative writing workshops helped participants build new friendships and deepen their understanding of sustainability.
Results
The project delivered many valuable outputs. These include six filmed recipes, a downloadable storybook with illustrations, and an international recipe collection presented as posters. 36 young participants gained skills in cooking, planning, and sustainability. Local follow-up workshops reached at least 120 children across six communities. The online campaign #YouthVoicesHealthyChoicesZeroWaste invited people to share their own healthy zero-waste meals and helped spread the project’s message.
Impact
This project inspired young people to take action in their everyday lives. They learned how to reduce waste, live healthier, and influence others. The tools created will continue to be used by youth organisations and local schools. New partnerships and future initiatives have already been planned between the six partner organisations. The project proves that small steps—like cooking smart and eating well—can lead to big changes for people and the planet.
