DREAM - ACT - LEAD

About the Project

DREAM - ACT - LEAD (DAL) is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership project (2022-2-FR02-KA220-YOU-000099470) and also an initial Smart Green City Project approved by the French National Agency with partners from Estonia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. The coordinator is Association FenêtreS (France).

Background

More than half of the world's population lives in cities. By 2050, this will have increased to two thirds, and as more people move to cities for a better life, millions of young people are growing up in environments that struggle to meet their needs.

Despite increased commitments made by global and local actors in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11, the majority of the world's urban development fails to address the problems caused by inadequate infrastructure, urban poverty, and social exclusion.

EUROSTAT data also singles out SDG 13 Climate Action as one of the areas in need of more and faster progress. Looking at the indicators for SDG 13, the main reason for EU's moderate advance is the need to reduce energy consumption in all its forms. An integrated approach, such as the one proposed under the mission, can contribute to mitigating this challenge where energy consumption is at its highest: urban areas.

In cities, we often find the best of culture, healthcare, education, and opportunity, but many of these fast-growing environments are experiencing increasing and deepening inequalities. For example, cities only occupy 2 percent of the world's total land but stand for 70% of the global economy, 70% of the global waste, and 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.

While this poses some challenges, one clear opportunity is to further include young people's voices in decision-making processes. As a generation that to a large extent is engaged in digital spaces and are important drivers of social, economic, and political change, their active involvement is key for successful and sustainable, inclusive transformation of cities.

Project Structure

DAL is composed of 3 movements:

DREAM

First, we'll dream together. What are the current problems in our cities? What is the future smart city like? What are the values of the next generation that guide our cities forward? What do cities that meet the goals of the European Green Deal and the Agenda 2030 look like? We cannot dream the future without involving the dreams and fears of the next generation in the discussion. We'll share ideas with bold young thinkers, the Future Mentors.

ACT

After dreaming it's time to act. We'll show the work done in cities. How do cities co-create together with their community? How is a culture of trust created with companies, citizens, the academia to work together for the same goal? How to tap into the whole potential of the city when creating a sustainable future and growth? How are global agendas, like the SDGs used as tools to create concrete action?

LEAD

The biggest challenge of our time is climate change. We will focus on the leadership of youth (by creating communities/youth-led NGOs) in solving the climate crisis; by fostering municipalities to cooperate with youth to develop sustainable green cities to fight against climate change.

Objectives and Impact

The project aims to:

• Engage young people in urban planning and development
• Create sustainable solutions for urban challenges
• Develop youth leadership in environmental action
• Foster cooperation between municipalities and youth organizations
• Implement practical approaches to the European Green Deal at local levels

Through this three-phase approach, the project will empower young people to not only envision the sustainable cities of the future but also take concrete actions to make those visions a reality, ultimately developing their leadership skills in addressing climate change and urban sustainability challenges.