Youth Action for Sustainable Development 1.0 and 2.0

Project duration

01.03.2020 – 31.10.2021

01.02.2022 – 01.03.2023

Background information

To achieve Agenda 2030 and make sure that we leave no one behind, everyone needs to get involved in the work towards a more sustainable world. Youth has continuously been named as an important actor in this work and therefore Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania launched the project Youth Action for Sustainable Development in spring 2020.

Project purpose and goals

The aim of the project is to promote youth actions for sustainable development, and the selected young people, together with interested civil servants, will become leaders and ambassadors of sustainable development in their local communities and municipalities. Project activities are focused on providing methods, tools, and skills for youth to become youth leaders and implement initiatives addressing local issues the young people themselves have identified. Civil servants will be equipped with the necessary skills and tools to foster citizen engagement and promote the principles of Agenda 2030. By becoming ambassadors for sustainability and citizen involvement in their respective municipalities, they will provide crucial support to youth in their implementation efforts.

The selected target group is youth and civil servants from Klaipėda region, Tauragė municipality and Torsås municipality in Sweden. Klaipėda region has been picked as the focus region due to Klaipėda city’s status as European Youth Capital in 2021 and the correlating positive space for new youth-led action.

Project partners

Lead partners:

Nordic Council of Ministers office in Lithuania
Association of Youth NGOs in Klaipėda “Round Table” (KLAS)

The project is being implemented in collaboration with Nordic and Lithuanian partners, including:

Torsås municipality, Sweden
We Do Democracy, Denmark
The World’s Best News, Denmark
Tillitsverket, Sweden
Regeneration 2030
Klaipėda city municipality
Tauragė city municipality

Key events

SDG online onboarding

During four online training sessions, held in May-September 2020, young people and municipal actors were trained and equipped with the tools to spot new opportunities that SDGs can open up to improve their municipality, region and country; build bridges between institutions and citizens to collaborate on the SDGs at the local level; and initiate new projects and initiatives inspired by the SDGs.

A virtual hackathon “Unlock SDGs”

The “Unlock SDGs” hackathon was held virtually in May 20-21st 2021. During the 2-day hackathon, participants collaborated to find innovative ways to increase awareness of 1 or all of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and offer solutions to achieve the selected goal.

Event recordings:

Two-day training for youth and civil servants “SDG Academy”

Main goal of the SDG Academy, held in May 28th-29th 2021, was to encourage cooperation between youth and civil servants and to start implementation of SDGs. Participants worked in groups and teams, performed practical tasks, and created SDG initiatives which later they will implement in their communities. Hybrid learning tools were included, to include inspirational presentations and knowledge exchange with Nordic youth and public sector representatives.

Training for youth affairs coordinators and youth workers

On 8th of July 2021 an international gathering of Youth affair‘s coordinators and youth workers was held. As part of that, to further increase awareness of the significance of SDGs, the project team organized  trainings for youth affair‘s coordinators and youth workers on the interconnectedness of SDGs and youth participation.

Youth Summer Camp and SDG Olympics

18th to 20th of August 2021 a Youth Summer Camp in Klaipėda district was held. A variety of discussions, trainings, educational programs, physical activities were included in this event. 

SDG Pop-up exhibition

Throughout 2020, an exhibition introducing the SDGs was located in the new “Pop-up youth area”. The exhibition informed about SDGs and encouraged public discussion.

Conference on SDGs and the SDG Academy

During Youth Week in Klaipeda, 7-8th of July 2022, there were workshops and discussions held in connection to the SDG conference and the SDG academy. The conference involved both Lithuanian and Nordic experts who introduced ways to contribute to reaching SDGs. Participants were able to choose between three sections, ACT, CREATE and REVEAL, based on their relevance to them. To compliment this, there was a social programme, including a sea museum visit and a thematic movie screening as well.

Public discussions

During the month of October 2022 there were four discussions held on the following topics:

Fighting discrimination in schools: does the education system provide a safe environment for all?
Youth policy – opportunities here and now
Gender equality or non-discrimination
Breaking stereotypes: heroes of our day

Sustainability week in Sweden

In autumn 2022, a study visit to Torsås, Sweden was held. The visit encouraged the participants to share experiences and to consider a range of environmental, social issues, and provided support for people to take positive action in their own lives.

Meetings between civil servants and youth

Throughout the project, a series of local meetings between municipality representatives and young people were held. All the learnings and experiences will be put together to develop a strategy for the future for youth involvement on municipal level.

Recommendations to local Youth Affairs Councils

Building upon previous trainings and meetings, young people and youth affairs coordinators in the beginning of February 2022, prepared recommendations for the Youth Affairs Councils. This is an important step towards making youth voice heard in municipal planning.

Final event

The final event of the project is being held in February 2023. It will be a fun and interactive evening that will gather youth to celebrate and wrap up the SDG 2.0 project. The event includes music, games and a quiz with a Nordic touch.