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Description
Young Caritas Advocates is a project that primarily targets young people aged 16-20 years. Over the course of 18 months, it aims to provide them with the communication and advocacy skills needed for active citizenship, with the benefit of teaching the concept of sustainable development. At the end of the project, these young people will be able to identify environmental shortcomings in their area and suggest realistic improvements. They will also have the skill to independently plan and carry out awareness-raising events for the public and conduct a direct dialogue on sustainable development with decision makers.
The core activity of the project will be an Accelerator Program based on the Advocacy Toolkit, developed and published by European Caritas organizations in 2020. This program is specifically designed for young people with a demonstrable interest in active citizenship and consists of several phases.
Participants will be invited to summer, winter and spring camps, where they will learn to define important topics and plan related advocacy strategies. They will then prepare and execute a targeted awareness campaign in their residential area, and in the practical part, deal directly with people who have real decision-making powers – e.g., with local government representatives. This will make it easier for Young Caritas Advocates to approach and communicate with authorities, which is the project’s key motivating element.
Existing support for NPOs will facilitate the creation of a strategy for the program of Young Caritas Czech Republic, which will in turn help improve the quality of youth work within the organization.