About the project
Associazione Spazio Etneo is proud to launch Waste Watchers, an Erasmus+ KA154 Youth Participation project developed together with our Croatian partner udruga SUMA.
♻️ The project was born from a simple observation: illegal waste dumping continues to affect both urban and rural areas, damaging natural environments, reducing the quality of life in local communities, and often remaining unnoticed or unresolved for years. At the same time, many young people want to contribute to environmental protection but lack the opportunities, skills, and platforms to make their voices heard.
🚁 Waste Watchers aims to change this. Over the course of 18 months, young people from Italy and Croatia will work together to identify challenges in their communities, learn how to map illegal dumping sites using drones and GPS technology, organise clean-up actions, and engage in dialogue with local authorities. By combining technology, environmental action, and active citizenship, the project seeks to demonstrate that even small local initiatives can contribute to building cleaner and more sustainable communities.
🤝 Following an international training course in Croatia in May 2026, participants will become local environmental ambassadors and put their newly acquired knowledge into practice through 12 clean-up actions implemented in Italy and Croatia. These activities will directly involve local citizens, volunteers, and community members, creating visible environmental improvements while raising awareness about responsible waste management and environmental protection.
🗣️ The project will also create opportunities for young people to participate in public dialogue. Through forums organised in both countries, participants will present the results of their work, share evidence collected during the project, and discuss possible solutions with local institutions and decision-makers. The project will conclude with a final conference in Catania, where participants, partners, local stakeholders, and decision-makers will come together to present the results achieved throughout the 18-month journey, share lessons learned, and showcase how youth-led environmental action can generate a lasting positive impact on local communities.
Main Objectives
-> Increase young people’s participation, environmental protection and community life.
-> Develop practical skills in drone operation, GPS mapping, and public speaking.
-> Raise awareness about illegal waste disposal and its environmental consequences.
-> Support dialogue between young people and local authorities on environmental issues.
-> Promote active citizenship and youth-led initiatives at local and international level.
Key Points
Project Timeline
Preparation
Conducting the first online meeting with the selected Ambassador.
Training “Become a Waste Watcher”
The 5-day training equips 16 youth ambassadors with the skills needed to carry out local activities successfully.
Participants gain technical knowledge (drone operation and GPS mapping), leadership skills (teamwork and public speaking), and organisational abilities needed to identify and clean illegal dumpsites and engage in dialogue with decision-makers.
Clean-up actions
The twelve clean-up from the core of the project’s practical activities will take action:
6 in Sicily + 6 In Croatia
They directly address an environmental issue, engage the local community, and produce clear, measurable results.
Forum “Dialogue for a Cleaner Future”
2 Public forums will be held (one per country).
Important part of the project, enabling young people to present collected evidence, engage directly with local authorities, and advocate for long-term solutions while strengthening youth civic participation.
Final Conference
The final conference presents the project’s results to a wider audience, shares key lessons learned, and highlights the achievements of the youth ambassadors with decision makers, helping ensure visibility and encourage further use of the project model.
Training “Become a Waste Watcher” Local Events (to be implemented)
Local Events (to be implemented)
Final Conference (to be implemented)
Partners Organizations
Spazio Etneo 🇮🇹 · Udruga SUMA 🇭🇷
Social and Hashtags
#WasteWatchers #ErasmusPlus #KA154 #YouthParticipation #YPA #participazioneattiva #Environment #Sustainability #ActiveCitizenship #YouthEngagement #GreenCommunities #EnvironmentalAction #SpazioEtneo #nonformaleducation #progettieuropei
