European youths visit Dundee to help shape a sustainable future

Published On Wed 2 Apr 2014 by Grant Hill

Photo opportunity: 5-6.30pm on 3rd April at Dalhousie Building.  Discover 2 Inspire participants from across Europe will be gathering for the opening ceremony.

More than 100 students from 10 European countries will descend upon the University of Dundee this week for an international conference looking at how young people can be encouraged to embrace environmental sustainability.

‘Discover 2 Inspire: Youth for Sustainable Living’ takes place from Thursday 3rd to Tuesday 8th April. The annual conference aims to encourage young people to be more socially active and get involved in global solidarity causes by demonstrating how individual efforts contribute to worldwide challenges.

The project has been organised by students from the University with support from the United Nations Association Scotland and the British Council, and has been funded through the European Youth in Action Programme.

This year’s event will bring together 100 participants from Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Turkey and the UK. They will hear presentations from scientists, businesses and eco organisations as well as taking part in workshops on contemporary environmental topics and participating in mock political simulations.

A fieldtrip to Findhorn eco village, an example of a sustainable community in action, will also take place.

“We are very excited to be bringing young people from across Europe to Dundee to share and apply their knowledge and skills in the field of sustainability,” said Elena Sarieva, one of the event organisers.

“The aim is to establish different ways that young people can change their behaviour in order to achieve more sustainable way of living. One of the most exciting items on the itinerary is the fieldtrip to Findhorn, where the workshops will be partly carried out so participants have the chance to experience ‘real life’ sustainable practice.”

The participants, assisted by the media team at Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA), will produce videos for social media that highlight the outcomes of the conference in an effort to raise awareness of environmental sustainability issues and promote ways of finding small-scale feasible solutions that contribute to positive global change.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384768
Mobile: 07854 953277
Email: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk