From Italy’s young people a great message of awareness and information is to go out, so that the world’s governments do what they must to save our land and our seas. We are the last generation that can be of use in doing something to save the planet. We will not back down
Antonio Libonati, President
On the occasion of the Italian Youth Forum in Trieste, from 5 to 7 April 2019, the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO launched the #unite4earth campaign – together to save the Earth – for the defence of our planet. The idea behind the campaign is to support the initiative of the Ministry of the Environment on the establishment of the “green helmets”, that is, educators and trainers capable of raising the younger generations’ awareness of environmental protection and of developing an ecological mindset, able to rethink the relationship between humankind and the environment itself.
The #unite4earth campaign first took shape in the organisation of plastic-free events held across Italy: the Ocean Nights. These gatherings featured best practices, video content and talks by distinguished guests, aimed at spreading among citizens the principles underpinning the #unite4earth campaign. In addition, these evening events gave rise to collaborations with other organisations committed to environmental protection, such as the One Ocean Foundation, official partner of the Ocean Nights.
The environment has also become a central theme of Edu, the educational project of the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO. From 2019 onwards, the editions of the Edu project have indeed been built around ecological themes, so as to raise students’ awareness of protecting our planet and to express the themes of the #unite4earth campaign through their creativity.
