Legambiente is a historic association in our country and has enormous expertise in the environmental sector. However, it has difficulties in involving the younger sides of our society. The collaboration with ESN Italy and its sections, in this sense, can be extremely advantageous for both sides: Legambiente provides its know-how and technical competences, ESN allows it to reach a target that otherwise would remain alien to (young international people). Moreover, through this collaboration, Legambiente has the opportunity to potentially reach people coming from all over the world. The main objective is therefore to create a union between these two associations that can increase the awareness of environmental problems throughout the world. Finally, also through this collaboration, ESN Italy wants to become a benchmark within volunteering associations in all fields: in this way, international students who live a mobility experience in our Country have the opportunity to be integrated at 360 degrees in the social fabric of the city that hosts them.
The project consisted in the implementation of the collaboration between ESN Italy and Legambiente, the main environmental volunteering association in our Country. This project was carried out at two different levels:
- On a local level: in at least 15 different cities, structured collaborations have been created between Sections of ESN and Local Groups of Legambiente. This has led to the creation of numerous shared activities among the two associations:
- ESN Catania: organized an urban regeneration activity with the Legambiente Local Group, which consisted of cleaning one of the main squares, planting new plants and participating in a flash mob.
- Webinars on the SDGs: 12 Sections from different cities coordinated with various Legambiente Local Groups to hold a series of webinars on the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
- Several Sections organized Nature Walks, i.e. walks through the green areas of the cities, with the collaboration of Legambiente.
- In at least five different cities, cleanups were held in cooperation between the two associations.
- At the national level: individual sections were given all-round support in setting up partnerships with Legambiente Local Groups in the various cities. More specifically, the following were shared: materials and news of the historical campaigns of Legambiente, with the various events organized on the occasion of these campaigns, official contacts of the various Local Groups, contacts of the regional Legambiente referents. In addition, the contacts of the representatives of the environmental activities of our Sections were provided to the above-mentioned regional representatives in order to increase collaboration on both sides. Various national trainings were carried out, and we joined the international campaign “Clean up the World", of which Legambiente is a historical initiator. As far as these initiatives are concerned, besides various training sessions and green campaigns, the main activities were:
- Clean Up the World: since 2013, ESN Italy has been participating in "Let’s Clean the World". On the occasion of the above-mentioned campaign, we organized a Green Week in which the social channels of our association were dedicated to the promotion of environmental issues and the above-mentioned campaign. More specifically, we republished materials provided by Legambiente itself, created info-interactive stories on how to reduce the waste we produce through sustainable alternatives and, to test our local Sections, held a contest for the best waste-themed event. Several Sections battled it out with activities of various kinds. The winning activity was cleaning the waters of Genoa by kayak. In addition, we were present, through the Project Manager and the relevant Cause Coordinator, at the Puliamo Il Mondo launch event in Milan.
Structuring of a long-term collaboration with Legambiente: we had various videocalls and meetings to define common objectives; draft a common communication plan; better define training sessions, actions and initiatives to implement together during the year like the one developed for ESN & Employability, i.e. How to Manage your Projects: make them Inclusive and Sustainable (training session aimed at educating participants on socio-environmental project management, where Legambiente spoke about volunteering camps); share contact list of local sections and referees.
