REVIEW ONLINE CONVERSATION 26 JUNE 2024

A video of the conversation is available here: https://youtu.be/3zd2TCSXluA
 
As a globally active network, Naturefriends are committed to the sustainable development of the environment and society at regional, national and global level. The focus is on international solidarity and intercultural exchange - especially between the Global North and the Global South - as well as climate justice. However, international networking also involves travelling and therefore CO2 emissions. How can we succeed in raising awareness of the climate footprint of international work on the one hand and taking measures to reduce it on the other? 

Mamadou Sylla (President of the International Young Naturefriends IYNF) and Sina Franz (Secretary General of the International Young Naturefriends IYNF) presented the results of the international project “Greening International Youthwork”: Model Projects in Senegal/Gambia as well as concrete tools and measures to help minimise the climate impact of international youth work.  
Ingeborg Pint, interpreter and long-time tour guide of Naturefriends travels in Africa, reported on how the trips to Senegal and Gambia have initiated and continue to support numerous sustainable initiatives and projects in the region. 

Ingeborg, you have been accompanying and guiding Naturefriends trips in Africa for many years. How can we imagine a trip with you and what is so special and unique about the Naturefriends trips?

The trips startet with the opening of NF house in Dakar in 2004, the house is the starting point of the trips. The special thing about the Naturefriends trips is that they are developed in very close cooperation with the Naturefriends in the country concerned. The motto of the Naturefriends trips is "Friends visit friends", they are characterised by mutual interest and respect and serve to break down prejudices. On the one hand, after such a trip, the European participants understand a little more about the living conditions in an African village or small town, and on the other hand, the contact with Europeans is very valuable for the villagers because it is appreciative and solidary. This mutual sensitisation is very important to Naturefriends. 

To get an impression of the travels, have a look at our “Virtual journey to Senegal/The Gambia” in our tourism_LOG (daily travel reports in German, English and French): https://tourismlog.respect.at/afrika/
 
https://tourismlog.respect.at/virtuelle-reise-nach-senegal-und-gambia-ein-rueckblick-le-voyage-virtuel-au-senegal-et-en-gambie-un-bilan-virtual-trip-to-senegal-and-the-gambia-a-review/#more-4741

Informations about the Landscape of the Year Senegal/The Gambia: https://www.nf-int.org/themen/landschaft-des-jahres/aktivitaeten/landschaft-des-jahres-senegalgambia
 
Ingeborg, over the years, the trips have not only brought Naturefriends from Europe and Africa closer together, but have also initiated sustainable projects - particularly in Senegal and The Gambia …

We realise that flights in times of climate crisis are problematic. Nevertheless, over the past 20 years, Naturefriends trips to Africa have initiated many international solidarity projects aimed at improving the living conditions of local people and the climate. These trips have also contributed to raising awareness of sustainable tourism, e.g. through the training of young people as guides by JUST ACT, a partner organization of NFI in The Gambia. (Get more informations here: Community Based Tourism – Creating opportunities for young people’s future in The Gambia 
https://tourismlog.respect.at/community-based-tourism-als-zukunftschance-fuer-junge-menschen-in-gambia-community-based-tourism-creating-opportunities-for-young-peoples-future-in-the-gambia/)

And also specific projects were made possible through donations of Naturefriends in the Global North that were developed together with the African partners, e.g:

• Construction of a training centre for girls and young women in northern Senegal which, in addition to vocational training, also imparts knowledge about the environment
• Exchange programmes for pupils in Senegal and The Gambia with a focus on environmental and climate issues
• Support for a women's group in Kamb in Senegal, which grows vegetables 
• the NFI Climate Fund, which supports fruit tree plantations to promote climate protection and food security (https://climatefund.nf-int.org/en/current-projects/)
• Revitalisation of the Kankurang Festival in The Gambia 
• Planned photovoltaic systems at schools and the Naturefriends House in Dakar/Senegal 

Mamadou, you started a very interesting project to fight climate change: the reforestation of mangroves. Can you briefly explain to us how this project came about and what your motivations are?

The initial question was: Can the emissions caused by participants travelling on (climate protection) projects be justified? What is important is the content of the trip, the reveals of the travels, the amount of insights and experiences that the participants take away from the trip - and above all the number of actions that we initiate and implement. 

The background to the mangrove reforestation project is the fact that Senegal is struggling with coastal erosion - which is a consequence of climate change. The mangroves not only prevent coastal erosion, but also store a lot of CO2. For Senegal, the reforestation of mangroves is therefore an important measure for achieving its CO2 emission reduction targets. 

By involving the local population, the mangrove reforestation project is also making an important contribution to raising people's awareness and motivating them to become active themselves.

 
Mamadou, You are also a member of “The Loss and Damage Youth Coalition”, an alliance of youth from the global south and north with 1.000 members in over 90 countries. How can you bring your commitment and the experience of working with young people to a political level?

It is important to get active as an activist, but it is even more important that young people are more involved in the political decision-making process and in politics. The “Loss and Damage Youth Coalition“ supports young people in this. 

And IYNF projects are also increasingly focussing on this aspect. We need to bring the issues of climate protection and climate justice closer to political decision-makers so that they make the right decisions for a good future for us all. This is not easy, but it is very important.

The Loss and Damage Youth Coalition: https://ldyouth.org/

Sina, the mangrove reforestation project is also a part of your international project “Greening International Youthwork” in which you developed tools and methods to make international youth work more sustainable. Would you please tell us more about it?

This was a two-year Erasmus+ project with Young Naturefriends Germany and Italy, Biodiversa (Spain), ASAN (Naturefriends Senegal), IYNF. The mangrove reforestation project was an important part of this. It was not just a youth exchange, but the first time that African partners were funded in an Erasmus project: ASAN (Senegal, memberorganisation of NFI) and CREDIT ONG (Benin, partner of NFI). 

One result is the handbook "Mangroves - Natural heroes to combat climate change".
The tips and ideas in the handbook can easily be adapted for other activities outside of the mangrove reforestation focus!

Handbook “Mangroves - Natural heroes to combat climate change”: https://www.naturfreundejugend.de/materialien/rubrik/-/show/409/mangroves_natural_heroes_to_combat_climate_change/
 
 
In addition, a curriculum for youth work has been developed. With special methods for organising courses and workshops and new ideas on how the topic of sustainability can be incorporated into educational activities.

Greening International Youth Work Curriculum: https://www.naturfreundejugend.de/materialien/rubrik/-/show/408/greening_international_youth_work_curriculum/

Sina Franz also gave detailed insights into the handbook "Greening International Youth Work". Currently only available as a print version (soon also digitally), printed on algae paper. Topics include mobility, accommodation, local activities, waste management, light pollution and much more. The focus is also on raising awareness - e.g. on the topic of CO2 compensation, showing how much forest would have to be reforested in order to compensate for my CO2 emissions to some extent ...

A printed copy of the handbook can be collected free of charge from the Young Naturefriends Germany´s office in Berlin and the NFI office in Vienna or ordered via IYNF (shipping costs will be charged). Contact: sina@iynf.org

The cliMATEs app is another tool that Sina Franz presented in detail: It is available in an English and German version - as an app (available in the Google Playstore or Apple Appstore) or internet version. A French version is also available and an app is still under development. The tool helps to analyse and calculate the ecological footprint of activities and to make improvements and optimisations in further steps in order to reduce CO2 emissions. 

App cliMATEs: https://climates.app/auth/login/

French/German version CO2-Calculator: https://dekarbo.dfjw.org/fr/calculator