EUTeens4Green Project
Air Pollution Hackathon
The JEF Malta Air Pollution Hackathon, part of the EUTeens4Greens Erasmus+ Project, was a competition where teams of two or three people developed solutions to address air pollution in Malta. The event took place on 26th August at AX The Victoria Hotel in Sliema.
The hackathon began with educational sessions led by Prof. Noel Aquilina, Associate Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Malta, and Ms. Nadine Mercieca, Team Manager at the Ambient Quality and Waste Unit. Mr. Matthew Caruana, CEO of JA Malta, also shared insights on how local startups contribute to youth activism, including efforts to combat air pollution. These expert speakers provided participants with valuable knowledge on the issue of air pollution in Malta and the role startups can play in addressing such challenges.
Afterward, participants had time to brainstorm and develop their ideas during a catered coffee break. They came up with innovative solutions, drawing on the speakers’ insights while also exploring unique approaches. Each team then presented their ideas, honing their public speaking skills in front of an audience. The judges selected the three most creative solutions, and the winning teams were awarded prizes from Scan, One4All, and ReRoot.
The participants also enjoyed a complimentary lunch at the hotel restaurant, where they continued to discuss the event and exchange ideas with each other and the speakers.
Our Sustainable Mediterranean
As part of the EUTeens4Greens Erasmus+ Project, we hosted a two-hour seminar and panel discussion on September 2nd at the Hilton in St. Julians, focusing on climate change and regional cooperation in the Mediterranean. The event targeted youth aged 16-35, followed by a networking lunch where participants could engage with the expert panelists.
The seminar explored current and future collaborations between the EU, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), and their member states in combating climate change and building a regional circular economy. After the presentations, attendees engaged in a Q&A session with the panelists. The networking lunch provided an opportunity for participants to further discuss these topics with the experts in an informal setting.
The panel discussion benefited from the diverse perspectives of these experts, encompassing scientific, political, and practical viewpoints. This multidisciplinary approach provided a comprehensive understanding of climate change in the Mediterranean, emphasising the importance of addressing the issue from multiple angles.
The questions posed to the panellists were divided into two categories to leverage their respective expertise: Political Collaboration, in which we discussed the effectiveness of cooperation between the EU and the UfM in tackling climate change, along with the legal and practical challenges, public awareness, and engagement, and Climate Science, for which we focused on making complex climate science more accessible to policymakers and the public, translating global climate research into actionable regional policies, and addressing uncertainties in climate models for effective decision-making. A 30-minute open Q&A session allowed participants to pose their questions directly to the panelists, fostering further discussion on environmental issues. The event provided a valuable platform for students to engage with environmental topics alongside experts, making it an enlightening and educational experience. The networking lunch further facilitated in-depth discussions, allowing students to voice their ideas and learn directly from professionals in the field.
Malta’s Green and European Future
As part of the project, the “Malta’s Green and European Future” event was held at the Hilton in St. Julians. This roundtable discussion brought together experts and participants to evaluate whether Malta is doing enough to meet its EU green transition commitments.
The event featured a panel discussion with representatives from local environmental NGOs and policy-making entities, focusing on Malta’s progress toward its European green transition goals. This discussion served as a culmination of the project’s previous events, emphasising the local dimension of Malta’s environmental efforts.
Following the engaging discussion, the experts and participants continued their conversations during a networking lunch, fostering further dialogue on Malta’s green and European future.
EUTeens4Green Closing Ceremony – Brussels, Belgium
Attended by Michael Gatt, then JEF Malta Projects Officer.
Registration was made available to the Team Leader of every EUTeens4Green Project, with ours going by the name “Our Sustainable Europe”. All the expenses were covered by the European Commission and a Service Provider took care of the bookings. Michael Gatt had the opportunity to attend on behalf of JEF Malta as he was the Projects Officer of the Executive Team and was the team leader for our project Our Sustainable Europe. Michael was also identified as one of the potential storytellers for the Final Event. In light of that, he was invited to be a prominent voice to address one of the panels organised for this significant occasion. The panel, was titled “What are the means to strengthen the capacity of young people to shape and lead the Green and Just Transition?”
He took to the stage to share his project experiences and key messages to bring to the attention of policymakers and EU representatives, in order to shed light on ways to improve the EU Cohesion Policy and overcome barriers to youth engagement.
The substantial level of youth engagement and feedback forms collected from participants demonstrate that the events acted as a forum for civic engagement through which young people informed themselves about the aforementioned subjects and voiced their concerns, opinions, and solutions to policy-makers and experts in the field. Therefore, in acting as a bridge between youths, and institutions and entities which are at the helm of bringing about the green transition, these events have given young people the possibility of influencing future policies and initiatives.
EUTeens4Green was launched by EU in my Region to boost youth civic participation and bridge the gap between young people and policymakers.