Legacy of the Soil: Building Sustainable Agriculture Awareness Through Non-Formal Learning

Between 28 April and 5 May 2025, the Erasmus+ Mobility of Youth Workers project “Legacy of the Soil: Sustainable Agriculture and Safe Food” (Project No: 2024-3-ES02-KA153-YOU-000260774) was implemented in Gijón, Spain, with the participation of youth workers from Turkey, Spain, Hungary, Poland, and Iceland. The project brought together participants under the partnership of Stowarzyszenia Polish Healthy Life Association to explore sustainable agriculture, food safety, climate change, and environmentally responsible lifestyles. Through a diverse programme of non-formal education activities, participants developed new competencies while exchanging experiences and best practices from their respective countries.

The first activities focused on creating a welcoming and collaborative learning environment. During the Meet and Greet Session, participants became familiar with the project structure, daily programme, and accommodation facilities, helping them feel comfortable and prepared for the week ahead. This was followed by Journey Towards Sustainability, an interactive icebreaking activity that used movement, gamification, and memory-based learning techniques to help participants learn each other’s names and build strong interpersonal connections. These activities established trust, encouraged active participation, and laid the foundations for effective intercultural cooperation throughout the project.

Environmental awareness and sustainable mobility were central themes of the programme. Through the Navigating Sustainability: Cycling Workshop, participants learned cycling skills while discussing the role of bicycles in reducing carbon emissions and promoting environmentally friendly transportation. The workshop strengthened participants’ motor skills, self-confidence, and understanding of sustainable mobility solutions. In addition, the Eco-Friendly Exploration: Orientation and Activities session encouraged participants to observe and map their surroundings, improving their orientation skills, observational abilities, and capacity to critically evaluate information through experiential learning methods.

Another important component of the project focused on understanding the Erasmus+ framework and personal development opportunities. During Erasmus+ Empowerment: Navigating Youthpass Procedures, participants gained comprehensive knowledge about the Erasmus+ Programme, non-formal education, and the Youthpass certification process. This was complemented by Unlocking Potential: Exploring Key Competencies, where participants explored the eight key Youthpass competences through teamwork, communication exercises, and gamified challenges. These activities increased awareness of lifelong learning, strengthened communication skills, and helped participants recognise and articulate their own learning achievements.

The programme also included reflective and intercultural learning opportunities. Through Assessing Readiness: Preparing for Project Endeavors, participants evaluated their existing knowledge and attitudes towards food safety, climate change, sustainable living, and organic nutrition, creating a valuable baseline for future learning. Daily reflections continued with Sunset Reflections: Wrapping Up the Day, where participants used fishbone analysis to identify challenges, causes, and solutions related to project activities. Finally, the Cultural Immersion: Exploring Diverse Traditions evening enabled participants to present their countries’ agricultural traditions, climate realities, local foods, and cultural heritage. This exchange fostered intercultural dialogue, strengthened mutual understanding, and highlighted the shared responsibility of protecting natural resources and ensuring safe, sustainable food systems for future generations.