DOUGHNUT: what Development OUGHt to meaN to yoUTh

About the Project

DOUGHNUT: what Development OUGHt to meaN to yoUTh (2021-2-EE01-KA220-YOU-000048246) is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership project that aims to translate the Doughnut Economy model into youth work and Third Sector entities, having observed the need for explaining and promoting this concept, along with updated climate crisis education, sustainable entrepreneurship models, and digitalization within planetary boundaries.

Background

We are facing an unprecedented crisis and it will take huge efforts to reverse the changes that the planet is undergoing right now. Famous points of no return are being reached all over the world and we cannot even reverse most of them, only their magnitude can be limited (United Nations, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2021). Moreover, this climate crisis is not all there is, as it proves to be very multilateral, involving social and economic realms as well and bringing life quality deterioration.

What does the Doughnut Economy bring to this picture?

It is a new vision where economic activities are linked to a society that depends on the environment for its survival. And it does so with a new integrated system of socio-economic and environmental indicators that helps to recognize where a society is and where it should be heading in the future. It offers constant monitoring of these indicators and provides connections between different dimensions. As Kate Raworth, Oxford's economist and the Doughnut Economy author and promoter, says, "A healthy economy must be designed so that everyone can prosper, not grow without end." This means, without exceeding the ecological ceiling, and by default, by guaranteeing the social welfare of the population by indicating social and economic priorities that must be urgently adopted in different areas.

Her model is explained through a doughnut-shaped diagram, hence its name. The inner ring represents the 12 basic human needs that must be met to ensure social cohesion; the outer ring is the ecological context that we have, the limits marked by the finiteness of the planet and its finite natural resources. Therefore, the middle green ring represents the dimension where humanity and the planet can coexist in a healthy way.

The Doughnut Economy can be applied on a global, national and local level and different European cities are already starting to implement it, such as Amsterdam, in our partner country the Netherlands, and Barcelona, in our partner country Spain. With our project we wish to translate Doughnut Economy into youth work and Third Sector entities level.

Project Objectives

1. To increase 30 youth workers' competencies by an exchange of best practices in regard to sustainable entrepreneurship, technology, and climate action according to Doughnut Economy theory in the non-formal education sector.

2. To create a set of theoretical and practical youth work methods on sustainable entrepreneurship, technology, and climate action according to Doughnut Economy theory in the non-formal education sector.

3. To increase our communities' awareness of sustainable entrepreneurship, technology and climate action according to Doughnut Economy theory in the non-formal education sector.

Activities

The main DOUGHNUT project activities include:

• First Transnational Project Meeting in Spain
• Intermediate evaluation at the middle of the project
• Final Transnational Project Meeting in Estonia

For the Learning Teaching Training Activities, two mobilities were organized:

• Course for Youth Workers in Spain (8 days, 10 youth workers from each partner organization)
• Youth Exchange in the Netherlands (8 young people and 2 young leaders from each partner organization)

After the Course for Youth Workers, 2 Internal Workshops were organized for colleagues to transfer the new abilities acquired. Partners then worked on the Interactive Guide based on the previous exchange of knowledge and skills, building upon it the new methodology for working on Doughnut Economy with youth.

The Guide creation involved a testing stage with workshops for local youth and youth workers from outside of the Partnership who provided valuable feedback for finalizing the Guide.

Local Multiplier Events were organized in each partner country, followed by Consultation Periods for the events' attendees wishing to implement the Guide in their own context.

As part of the Continuation strategy, online and offline follow-up workshops for local youth were organized at the end and after the formal end of the project, based on the methodologies from the Interactive Guide.

Results

The main project outcomes include:

• 30 trained youth workers from partner NGOs in sustainable entrepreneurship, technology and climate action according to Doughnut Economy theory
• An interactive guide for youth workers with youth work methods on sustainable entrepreneurship, technology and climate action according to Doughnut Economy theory in the non-formal education sector
• Training for NGO staff not participating in the project in the new youth work methods
• Training for 24 young people to become sustainable entrepreneurship and climate action ambassadors according to Doughnut Economy principles
• Support for project participants in practical transfer of the new competences to their local communities
• Wide dissemination of the project's topic and results

The guide is available in multiple languages (English, Estonian, Dutch, Spanish) and has been produced in both text and audio formats, making it accessible to a wide audience.