Nature calling

Nature Calling

From March 22nd to 31st, a youth exchange called Nature Calling! (nature calls), supported by the EU Erasmus+ program, took place in the picturesque setting beneath the Javorníky mountains. The nature school in the remote village of Lazy pod Makytou became home for ten days to 35 young people from 7 countries (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia). The aim of the educational project was to expand the ecological awareness of both participants and the public, to highlight the issue of global warming, and to increase general awareness of the need for environmental protection.

The project coordinator was the organization Mother Flower, which has long worked with primary school youth on ecological topics. Participants had the opportunity to share examples of good practice from their local communities and expand their competencies through non-formal education (group work, discussions, and creative methods), led by facilitator Ivan Rosa.

Thanks to the support of the director of the neighboring primary school, participants also engaged in activities with local students. They helped construct ecological gardens where students will grow plants for the school canteen. They assisted with cleaning the school surroundings and renovated the children's playground. During an organized planting event, participants, in cooperation with local residents, managed to plant over 700 young trees. Even the surrounding forest will remember this international visit.

The friendly atmosphere between the local and international communities was fostered by intercultural evenings, open to the general public. During these evenings, the youth presented the culture, traditions, and symbolically, the cuisine of their countries. Local students aged 10-15 also participated in the social events, trying Flamenco dancing and tasting Italian specialties.

A pleasant surprise of the Slovak evening was the visit of the mayor and the director with trays full of homemade cakes and treats from local breeders. The audience's hearts were won over by the dances of the Púchov Folklore Ensemble Váh and the performance of the folk music group Lazovianka.

The symbolic cherry on top was the public conference with the same name, Nature Calling, organized with the support of..., under the patronage of the Chairman of TSK. Its program featured not only foreign speakers but also Slovak experts and activists who shared experiences with practical environmental protection, plastic recycling, zero-waste economy, and the benefits of veganism.

Practical workshops led by Peter Ďubek taught participants how to make eco-friendly soap and effectively utilize waste material to create new items, known as upcycling. At the end of the educational project, participants joined the communal cleaning of nature from waste. Along a 10 km route, together with 120 other residents, they managed to collect 200 bags of waste.

The project was realized thanks to the initiative of many enthusiastic young people from the Mother Flower organization and supported by the Erasmus+ program, administered by IUVENTA - Slovak Youth Institute. Thanks also go to the Trenčín Self-Governing Region for their support in organizing the conference, to the mayor of the municipality of Lazy pod Makytou Ján Mičega, together with the director of the primary school Mgr. Milan Kuchta, for their welcoming reception and support during the education period.