Project Name: "Can't You SEA?"
Duration: From 1/03/2025 till 28/02/2026 (12 months)
Activity: Youth Exchange in Cyprus for 36 participants and 12 leaders + 2 facilitators at Hylatio Tourist Village in Pissouri for learning how to improve your mental health through sports and healthy lifestyle. www.hylatio.com.cy
Activity dates: 12 to 21 of November 2025 (10 days, including traveling dates)
Applicant Organisation: Polychoros Voroklinis, https://sites.google.com/view/polychoros-voroklinis/
Coordinating Organisation: NGO ACPELIA, www.acpelia.org
Age for participants: 16 - 25 years old
Travelling food and accommodation all are paid from the program
6 youngsters (ages 16 to 25) and 2 leaders will be selected from our organisation.
Main Topics:
- Raising awareness about sea pollution and its impact on marine ecosystems, and the global scale of the problem.
- Promoting sea protection and sustainable practices (It will address the roles that individuals and communities can play in preserving the health of the sea)
- Encouraging action on environmental preservation and addressing rising sea levels
Main Aim
The main goal of our Youth Exchange, "Can`t You SEA?," is to help young people understand and tackle the issues of sea pollution and its impact on rising sea levels. By bringing together participants from different countries, we aim to raise awareness and inspire action for environmental protection on local and global levels. United by Erasmus+ opportunities and the experience from our organization and facilitators, we will collaborate to think of action plans on how to protect the sea, even with small steps. Through this exchange, we want to empower youth to become active advocates and leaders in addressing water pollution and its connection to climate change.
Introduction
The "Can't You SEA?" Youth Exchange is an Erasmus+ initiative gathering young people from six countries in the scenic coastal village of Pissouri, Cyprus, for a 10-day program focused on understanding global warming, raising awareness about sea pollution, ecosystem protection, and the impacts of climate change on oceans.
Sea pollution is a significant global issue, with millions of tons of plastic entering our oceans annually. The United Nations reports that around 8 million metric tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year, forming massive "plastic islands" like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which covers an area twice the size of Texas. This pollution poses serious threats to marine life, with many species ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris.
Cyprus, being an island nation, depends greatly on the health of its surrounding waters for its economy, culture, and biodiversity. The Mediterranean Sea, encircling Cyprus, faces high pollution levels from plastics and other pollutants, making it one of the world's most polluted seas. This pollution not only harms marine life but also jeopardizes tourism, fishing industries, and the overall well-being of coastal communities.
The goal of the "Can't You SEA?" project is to tackle these challenges by educating and empowering young participants to take proactive steps. Through workshops, field activities, and collaborative projects, participants will learn about the causes and effects of sea pollution, the importance of conserving marine environments, and practical measures they can implement to protect our oceans. By involving young people in these vital conversations, we aim to inspire a new generation of environmental leaders who will advocate for cleaner and healthier oceans.
What do we want to achieve?
The "Can`t You SEA?" Youth Exchange aims to educate and empower young people to protect the environment, focusing on sea pollution and climate change.
Participants will learn about sea pollution, marine conservation, and climate change.
They will gain skills to take action in their communities for cleaner water and environmental and sea protection.
Community Impact throgh sharing knowledge will encourage others to adopt sustainable practices.
Collaboration between participants and stakeholders will strengthen environmental efforts on a collective level
Where the Need for the Project comes from?
Lack of environmental education - many young people aren't taught enough about sea pollution and conservation in school, so they need opportunities to learn more.
Empowering youth - young people are future leaders, so it's important to give them skills to solve environmental problems and make positive changes.
Local and global impact - pollution affects local communities in cyprus, partnering countries and worldwide, so local actions can have a big impact globally.
Promoting sustainable actions - teaching young people to reduce plastic use and protect oceans helps them make a difference in their own lives and communities.
Cross-cultural learning - bringing together youth from different countries helps them understand global environmental challenges and work together on solutions.
Supporting eu goals - the project supports efeuforts to be climate-neutral by 2050 by educating young people and encouraging them to protect the environment.
Sharing erasmus+ opportunities to young people
Specific Objectives:
To achieve our main aim, we have set several specific objectives for the "Can`t You SEA?" Youth Exchange:
RAISE AWARENESS - Educate participants about the causes of sea pollution, such as plastic waste and chemicals, and how they contribute to climate change impacts like rising sea levels.
PROMOTE ACTION - Encourage participants to take practical steps in their daily lives to reduce sea pollution and promote sustainable practices.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE - Facilitate cultural exchange activities to support understanding and collaboration among participants from different backgrounds.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT – Provide space for participants to develop different skills in project management, digital communication, and advocacy to effectively address environmental issues.
LOCAL ON-SPOT ACTIONS – Provide an opportunity for the participant to visit and experience first hand the impact of the sea by visiting local sea side and doing differnt actions such beach clean up, discussion with locals, marine visit etc.
CREATE EDUCATIONAL AD DISSEMIANTIONAL MATERIALS - Develop materials like websites, videos, and booklets to share knowledge gained during the exchange with wider audiences.
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS - Strengthen cooperation between participating organizations to support ongoing environmental initiatives beyond the exchange.
PROMOTE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME - Increase participants' knowledge of Erasmus+ opportunities and develop their competencies in intercultural communication and leadership.
ENSURE LONG-TERM IMPACT - Plan follow-up activities and establish an alumni network to sustain engagement and continue environmental efforts post-exchange.
Methodology
The "Can’t You SEA?" Youth Exchange will be implemented with non-formal education methods to engage participants in understanding and tackling sea pollution and climate change issues.
Through hands-on activities like beach cleanups, field trips, observation and learning from experts, participants will directly observe the impacts of pollution.
Interactive workshops, role-playing, research, and group discussions will support their critical thinking and understanding.
Collaborative projects and peer learning will support teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Creative activities, daily reflections, and feedback sessions will support a dynamic and inclusive learning environment, supporting participants to take action and promote environmental protection in their communities.
Exploratory activities and presentation will make them understand deeper the Erasmus+ programme and future opportunities
Aplication for Interest of Participation: https://forms.gle/9iq7y4yfo3jVKWBo7
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