BeUBio –targeting youth in the Baltic Sea Region for the SDGs and Bioeconomy

BeUBio aims to promote youth involvement across the Baltic Sea Region for transition to a bio-based economy, and create synergies with other actors and initiatives addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Aims of the project

The ideas for BeUBio started within the Baltic Leadership Program Bioeconomy Youth and is a seed money project aiming to prepare for a larger project including more youth actors and organisations interested in the sustainability goals and especially the development of bioeconomy.

Initiatives such as the ‘Baltic Leadership Programme on Youth’, ‘Bioeconomy (BLP Youth)’, ‘ReGeneration 2030’ and the ‘Baltic Youth Festival’ are examples of regional cooperation. However, we need more and harmonised initiatives and methods for attracting and involving youth. The aims of BeUBio is to bring together young people, politicians and decision makers in companies and create synergies with other actors and initiatives addressing the UN SDG:s and the transition to a bio based economy. We aim to establish a platform in the BSR which will enable youth to take part and lead in the development of a circular bioeconomy within the EUSBSR and other relevant actions.

Project partners

Lead partners:

Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania
Swedish Board of Agriculture

Other partners:
Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR), Cēsis, Latvia
The Region of Kalmar County, Sweden
Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Nordregio, mainly the Nordic countries and the Baltic Sea Region
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland
South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Mikkeli, Finland

Activities

The activities will concentrate in creating contacts with other youth actors in the Baltic Sea Region, trying to find common grounds for a larger project targeting youth, sustainability and bioeconomy. There will be a Pilot Youth Bioeconomy Council established linked to the NCM Bioeconomy Council. A mapping of education products on bioeconomy in the BSR will be performed and a workshop at the EUSBSR Annual Forum is also foreseen. Another activity is an outreach to youth initiatives in other macro regional strategies.