New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
elenags2154@gmail.com

Basic information
Initiative title
#FoodForEarth-youth

Full initiative Title
#FoodForEarth-youth communities for composting and climate

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
#FoodForEarth-youth creates a network of active students composting communities in schools. #FfE builds sustainable net-zero carbon composting facility in school yard. #FfE inspires and engages the students for regeneration of the soil and climate through inclusive education, art and gardening. It rises awareness and conveys a new quality of experience being part of nature and highlights the curial importance and participation of everyone in solving problems with soils, air and biodiversity.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
National

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Bulgaria

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Sofia municipality

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual
Please provide the contact details for the intiative promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the intiative).
- First name: Elena
  Last name: Georgieva
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Bulgaria
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Div kesten 1 street
  Town: Sofia
  Postal code: 1619
  Country: Bulgaria
  Direct Tel: +359 87 843 2858
  E-mail: elenags2154@gmail.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/FFE.youth
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Facebook
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/foodforearth_youth/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Instagram
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Previous participants

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
#FoodForEarth-youth creates a network of active students composting communities in schools. #FfE builds a sustainable net-zero carbon composting facility in the school yard. #FfE inspires and engages the students for regeneration of the soil and climate through inclusive education, art, composting and gardening. It raises awareness and conveys a new quality of experience being part of nature and highlights the crucial importance and participation of everyone in solving problems with soils, air and biodiversity.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Youth

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Engage

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Art

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Soil

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Motivation

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
During 2022 a school girl created the initiative and implemented an inspirational pilot project in the school l. #FfE-youth aims to address the soil problems and human induced climate change. It faces the students with the climate challenges which we have, listen to and engage them into discussion for adaptation and mitigation. Practical workshops were designed to evoke students' creativity and joy through art, planting seeds, shaping a school compost zone and separate collection of plant food waste in the classrooms.
4 pilot classes took part in the workshops and currently have a box for plant organic wastes (e.g. banana peals, apples and other) that at the end of the day a student empties in the compost bin in the school yard. The students from the pilot classes had a commitment to maintain the composting process.
The educational and reshaping model which was prototyped with #FfE-youth can be easily scaled in many other schools. The model has a potential for dissemination on national and European level as well.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The main goal of the initiative is to create a space where young people can be listened and feel motivated to try and help with the very much needed change in the way we approach and treat our nature and our soils. Practical workshops were designed to evoke students' creativity and joy through art, planting seeds, shaping a school compost zone and separate collection of plant food waste in the classrooms. e aim to focus on making feeling good experience and nice memories and connect positive emotions with the topic. While the topic with the climate crisis can be a daunting thing when thinking about the state of our planet but that doesn’t mean that we can sit around.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
#FfE-youth was created by a school girl who is deeply concerned for nature and started to look for possibilities to implement demo project in her school. The initiative is inclusive through connecting different stakeholders: school management, municipality and NGO’s. By partnering with different organizations in the country the initiative is connecting and involving many other young people and professionals in the search for the solution to the global climate crisis. Students, climate activists, experts, teachers, managers and media actively participate in designing, planning, implementing the project activities.
Successful finished demo project is an example of an efficient new model for interdisciplinary approach of interaction for inclusive governing.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
By implementing the initiative #FfE-youth a new composting school community is being established. The students become active participants in the adaptation and regeneration of the soils and the human induced climate change. By having a compost zone in the school’s backyard they are reducing and diverting the amount of organic waste dumped in landfills that creates more methane, polluting the air and loss of crucial nutrients for the soil. The school will benefit not only by reducing their methane emissions but also have compost to enrich their soil and plants. Students will create new eco habits and feel like they can do something to help mitigate the climate crisis. Through students their families are influenced by the information and the soil friendly habit for effective food waste separate collection. The local residents who live near to the school can be involved in the initiative through spreading information and showing how easy composting on site is. The social potential of the “good infection” from the #FfE-youth model for climate friendly behavior supports the engagement of more and more schools, students, kids and adults for real actions.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
The #FfE-youth initiative is inspired by the social model “FoodForTheEarth - composting communities for climate” (FFTE). FFTE was awarded in the European Commission contest “World you like challenge” 2013 as a national winner. Also in December 2020 “Food for the Earth – Composting Communities for Climate” project was awarded in the contest of Climate Community Lab. It was born from a cross-border collaboration between Our Neighborhood Association for Sustainable Practices in Bulgaria and Urban Cultor startup in Bucharest, Romania.
#FfE-youth has united different stakeholders from NGO sector, Local Government and School - management and class teachers in a collaboration for design, adaptation, planning and implementing in a very successful way.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
#FfE-youth collaborated with different experts from the school management and teachers of 18 School “William Gladstone”, Sofia, NGO - Our Neighborhood Association for Sustainable Practices - a social entrepreneur, social psychologist and EU Climate pact ambassador, architect, Sofia municipality’s program “Academy for visioners” - mentor programme in the field of ecology, education, financial experts and from WWF Bulgaria - climatologist, academic experts and project managers.
The different experts communicate between them in a very productive, constructive and inclusive way supporting the development of the project idea and its implementation. The model initiative #FfE-youth has been created in a holistic approach building interdisciplinary bridges to reach youth.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
Based on our research for similar activities made in schools the initiative #FfE-youth model is initiated from youth to youth and uses a holistic approach for learning through experience. In an innovative way it combines interdisciplinary knowledge and activities from the field of soil and climate science, waste management, social psychology and landscaping. Inclusiveness of the youth and class teachers in experiencing strategic playful games involving them in innovative ways for beautifying the yard and developing a sense of belonging and responsibility to their school environment and community. Also transgenerational knowledge and information is transferred from youth to their family members as well. The young people become ambassadors for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Successful finished demo project is an example of an efficient new model for interdisciplinary approach of interaction for inclusive governing.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
The whole #FFE-youth model could be replicated and scaled to other places - schools, kindergartens, universities and companies. The goal of the project is to be distributed around the Bulgarian schools and at a later stage of development to other European countries. The model will be collected in a handbook for implementation and schools/ universities/ kindergartens/ companies will receive follow-up support and guidance from the team. The learnings, methodology and processes can be easily replicated and adapted in other social contexts.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
#FfE-youth model uses a holistic approach for learning through experience. It combines interdisciplinary activities for students and their teachers: presentations and discussions, art activities where students paint, planting seeds, building a compost zone, and they have an effective separate collection system of plant food wastes in the classroom and composting them on site. During the workshops we talk and discuss what is climate change, what are the urgent problems with soils health, engage and help them discover new ways in which they can be active and what they can do. During the art activity the students can explore and express their views, feelings, fantasies about their inner connection with nature and its problems. Inclusiveness of the youth and class teachers in building the compost zone through strategic playful games involving them in innovative ways for beautifying the yard and developing a sense of belonging and responsibility to their school environment and community. #FfE-youth was designed to help students create habits that don’t harm our soils but help regenerate them. #FfE-youth is building a new branch to the first one and grows the network locally, nationally and regionally.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
#FfE-youth initiative addresses climate change mitigation, adaptation to climate change, and sustainable development. alarming rates of degradation, erosion and health of the soil, biodiversity, carbon emissions, sustainability, wastes and food and the role of young people as part of the solution. With the climate crisis at its peak it’s important to actively address it and work towards finding our place in the solution. By starting the conversation with pears, teachers, local people and in school the initiative aims to jump start a thriving green change in the way people think about the planet and soils.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
In May 2022 the initiative took part in WWF Bulgaria “Climate heroes” national forum and was awarded as the most impactful initiative, was selected for funding by the mentor programme “Academy for visioners”. In July 22 the initiative took part in WWF regional forum in Brno, Czech Republic.
“#FoodForEarth-youth communities for composting and climate” was successfully implemented in 4 pilot classes (3, 6, 9 and 10 grade) 18 Secondary School William Gladstone in Sofia with financial and mentor support from Academy for visioners of Sofia Municipality and Our Neighbourhood Association for Sustainable Practices NGO.
The pilot project has increased awareness and sensitivity of students to climate change and soil health problems that concern the entire community by engaging in active discussions, art activities, planting seeds and appointing eco-patrol in each class in order to introduce improvements of effective separation of plant organic wastes in the room and responsible composting them on site in the compost zone built in the school yard. As direct beneficiaries the students and their teachers experienced the reconnection with nature, the cycle of organic matter and the importance of separate collection of the wastes. The beneficiaries were encouraged for climate and soil friendly behavior and more sustainable consumption.
The school management and teachers from other classes of the school expressed strong commitment for implementation of the educational activities in their classes.
In this year we aim to continue implementation of the initiative in at least 30-40 classes in the same school, which is the biggest school in Bulgaria (around 2500 students). We are in search of funding for our activities. Also we plan to reach at least 40 more schools in Bulgaria to make a presentation of our model and propose them for cooperation and replicate #FfE-youth initiative.
Active info campaigns are planned in social media and few webinars open for youth and the wide public

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Both
PDF
Web link
- https://www.sofia.bg/en/food-for-the-earth
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
#FfE-youth disseminates knowledge addressing the European competence framework on sustainability and involvement in practical activities for everyday life and influence attitude and supports climate friendly behavior in students and their families in a beautiful and creative way.
The education and empowerment of children and youth in an inclusive way so that they understand, experience and embrace sustainability and inclusion creates healthy connections with nature for current and future generations.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes