DARK SIDE OF CONSUMISM ´Dark side of consumism´ was a youth exchange that took place between 25 october – 2 november 2018 in Busteni, Romania.The exchange gathered 42 participants from 8 countries and was financed by European Commission in the frame of KA1 action of Erasmus + programme. The aim of the project was to increase young people's awareness of the negative effects of uncontrolled and irresponsible consumption on the quality of life and the sustainability of the environment The activities forseen are for preparation ,introduction and getting to know eachother, trust and team building, introduction of Erasmus + programme and youthpass certificate, cultural and study visits in surroundings and in Busteni, intercultural evenings, thematic and creative workshops The methodology was based on nonformal education and consisted in games, presentations, debates, role plays and simulations, media and video . Final results were conclusions from workshops , 2 movies to promote healthy lifestyle and consumer's responsible attitude, 4 flyers , 4 business plans in recycling domain, a facebook page and a DVD that contain results and informative and educational matherials. This booklet is another product of our creative workshops and tried to concentrate main information and outcomes from the workshops and interaction of participants.
We are grateful to our partners: Bulgarian Yotuh Assciation, YOUTHphoria(Greece), PrimOlio(Italy), Green Meridian(Latvia), VCS Skopje(Macedonia), HEureka Generator(Poland), Europe 2020(Spain). ..and of course many thanks for hospitality and support to Andreea Budu and Vila Cristina team. Tolea Postovei – project coordinator on behalf of FPT Buzau
CO2 FOOTPRINT The purpose of this workshop is to increase the awareness of participants about the amount of CO2 emissions they produce. Participants asked to answer a quiz in which the results are really interesting. After uploading the results, participants asked to discuss about them and explain why do they believe they achieved these scores. From the results the average number of tones per year each country produces in CO2 is:
Average emission of CO2 in tons per year 8.8
8.5 7.5
6.8
5.6
5.8
ROMANIA
LATVIA
6.6 4.6
GREECE
ITALY
SPAIN
POLAND
MACEDONI A
BULGARIA
A discussion was made about CO2 emissions and participants shared some ideas of how everyone can improve his carbon footprint. Participants agreed that in order to lower our CO 2 emissions they have to do the following: • • • • •
Use more bikes Try to produce electricity Car sharing Eating less meet Stop using plastic
WHAT DO WE CONSUME? The purpose of this workshop was to discuss what products or services do the participants consume, why do they consume them. Participants shared the products or services that they consume in their routine. Differences had also mentioned between the countries. Participants slpited in teams which made a poster. In poster they drew the products or services they consume and how frequently This question is a very good one actually.In fact,consumism is not just about the things that we consume,like food or water,it’s about the things that we’re using for our personal purposes.The thinks that we are consuming are just some of the things that we’re using for a better life.So,if you could consume whatever you want,what would be that stuff? We made this project in 5 teams,who expressed their own opinion on the main things that we are supposed to consume.The results were the following: • • • • • •
Food Water Electricity Public transports Cars Love
• •
Air Hapiness
WORLD COFFEE The World Coffee is simple, effective and flexible method for hosting large group dialogue. Each table has a host (moderator) who asks specific questions and sets the context of the discussion. Small groups of participants move from table to table where they discuss different aspects of the topic. In our workshop we discussed the different sides of irresponsible consumism including the causes and the negative effects. Then in the second stage of our discussion we tried to figure out the possible solutions and who or what can make us exit the dark side of consumism. Causes:
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New values and tendencies in society • laziness and lack of knowledge • too much smoking, alcohol consumption and drugs • social media and politics influence • competition between people for owning the newest products available on the market Negative effects: •
materialism which leads to depression People work jobs they do not like just to buy things they do not need • a loss of social skills While using social media people isolate themselves which leads to social anxiety • •
pollution, deforestation and extinction of endangered species unhealthy diet
Sollutions: • • • •
renewable energy sources for example solar panels, wind turbines etc. limiting the consumption of electricity, plastic, paper promoting recycling eco-friendly and less harming transport for example bicycles, carsharing, hitchhiking • buying second-hand • cultivate your own food Sharing responsibility for the problem: We got to the conclusion that everybody is responsible for the situation. • • • • • • •
Government Non-governmental organisations Corporations Individuals People who work in the education system mass media entrepreneurs
LAND ART LET’S BUILD A MASTERPIECE! Working in teams, we created a piece of art associated with the dark side of consumism using only things we could find in the forest, without damaging it. Through the creative process, we discussed about what to display and which name would be the most appropriate to explain each sculpture to others. A great activity to boost the imagination of the participants.
Do you harm or do you protect?
Second life
The big branches referring to human hands are polluting the environment with plastic containers, but the little ones are trying to persuade them in order to protect the nature.
This land art work wants to show that the nature has the chance to return to its previous beauty if we start treating properly the environment around us.
5-Star Hotel
This piece of art representing an animal shelter symbolizes that nowadays is nearly a privilege to find a natural reserve free from pollution.
Protection without action
The Earth symbolised in this land art work is showing us a fence made with branches whose goal is to protect our nature.
The alone one
Each branch represents human hands trying to harm nature, but the stones inside are making a lot of efforts to avoid damaging our ecosystem.
THE THINGS THAT YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT If you have to choose 8 thing that you cannot live without, what it will be? Our aim was how people will express their strictly needs. The participants were mixed in teams and each team had to create a story, a song or a poem which includes the 8 things that the teams proposed they cannot live without. They put their imagination and they tried to make the poem and the performance that express them the most. Here is a part of their work. Enjoy đ&#x;˜Š
I WANT TO BREAK OKE I want to sleep more I want to eat food I want to break down all the Oke and drink cleaner water and breath air I’ve got to break free Health famous, breath famous I want to break free. I falling in love, I falling in love with my close ones and this time I know my feelings I falling in love, they are, they are on the right place.
ABSTRACT Just use your freedom & get along with the songs rhythm When the wind blows your hair, you can feel the Busteni's air Maybe it doesn’t feel like home but it’s better than polluted Rome Enjoy the nature and the sun & make the youth exchange fun Even though we have lack of hot water, we have other things to offer Enjoy the food & join us with a good mood We have coffee, alcohol and Filip's milk every day Erasmus could never be more than ok. Share your love and join our squad Because Toleas is our Erasmus God. đ&#x;’Ť
ΕΚΟ vs EKO Another workshop. EKO vs OKE was very intense but we could learn in a funny way and exchange a lot of practises and experiences. Τhere was the EKO-OKE match in 8
groups, EKO meaning responsible consumer and OKE irresponsible. The purpose of this workshop was to show the good and the bad habits and characteristics of people which affect their consumption. Each team created a personage and placed it in different situations: home, at school and at work, in holidays and in a youth exchange and presented main characteristic. All of them were great
and colourful-yes, we know we consumed a lot of markers-. The funniest part was when we played theatre and had to act like Konstantina, Ekornelius, Frederec and the others.
YES OR NO DEBATE Yes/No debate is a dynamic brainstorming in which, once topic is given, everyone could decide to agree, disagree or remain neutral. Each step from the neutral zone represents strongness of our opinions; despite these extreme positions, it has been found that opinions are so much homogeneus. These are the topics we discussed, followed by what has been enlighted>> BRAINSTORM WITH US, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT…? •
Access in Mc Donald’s fast food restaurant should be permitted only for 18+ . Fast food meals are usually known for not to be so high quality because of their inner nature; despite of required standards, quality remains low. Agreement: “Mc Donald’s food is poison, sometimes it becomes addictive, such as tobacco and alcohol, and it could really harm youngster’s health” Disagreement: “From our experiences, we do not abuse of it, mostly because lots of children are under parental advisory and teenager are well aware of the risk of abusing of these kind of products and they prefer most genuine cuisine” Compromise: Common idea is that awareness must be increased by education, letting teenagers know how risky can it be, for mental and physical health, to eat indiscriminately “standard” franchising products
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CUTTING TREES FOR CHRISTMAS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED AS IT IS UNSUSTAINABLE Traditions must be respected but what if they become harmful for the environment? Agreement: Nearly everyone agreed with this motion because, even if people could be very religious, it is necessary to bypass the obstacle Disagreement: “As Christmas is once a year the impact on the environment is not critical”.
Compromise: There are so many Christians around the world, so it could be hard to manage this kind of business without hurting the environment; we came up with the most widespread idea of using synthetic trees or with the rising idea of plant our own trees or to buy growing ones. •
RECYCLING PAPER, PLASTIC, ALUMINIUM, GLASS ETC. IS NOT USEFUL AS IT CONSUMES TOO MUCH RESOURCES: Resources mostly consumed are energy and money, but energy consumes can influence the environment we are trying save by recycling: is it worth it? Agreement: It is a fact that cannot be denied as long as our recycling systems are not working efficiently as they should to minimize process waste and consequently pollution. Disagreement: Recycling will always be useful as long as earth will take more advantages by doing it instead of not doing it at all: despite it produces toxic substances, we are saving the savable. Compromise: Recycling must be done, but charged corporations must guarantee standard conditions that would not affect profoundly the ecosystem, setting aside profits as long as the most valuable profit which could be earn is the extinguishment of harmful waste from the environment.
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ADVERTISEMNT USING CATALOGUES AND LEAFLETS IN MAILBOX SHOULD BE BANNED Nowadays they are less and less common because of other kind of advertisement rising, such as internet and digital mass media. Agreement: “They are a useless waste of paper, cause most of people do not even read those and they are increasing the already huge amount of waste to be recycled, adding more and more costs of production and of waste treatment. Disagreement: A significant amount of population, mostly elderly people, who are not so close to technologies, use them frequently as a source of information. Moreover, they are sometimes useful to have discounts, to get informed about the beginning of sales and to make comparisons with other shops. Compromise: Invest more in market researches to find out which is the part of population that mostly take advantages of them.
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INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT PROTECTION OF ENVIROMENT We have to focus on what is more important for us: what directions are we gonna take? Agreement: Obviously is hard to agree completely with this topic but best opinions were those: industrial development is what brought us today in climax of knowledge, spreading consumism but also taking our needs to next level, letting us enjoy them in the most efficient way we could ever imagine. Disagreement: What is the sense of having more and more efficient objects if we could not enjoy the most simple things life offers to us? What if we could not breath fresh air anymore, take an apple from a tree or swim in our seas and rivers? Compromise: For us industrial development is not about the quantity but it is about the quality, which is also related to life-cycle of the product and to damages it could bring to our health and our environment; so industrial development must walk next to studies and researches in minimizing damages, spending much money as possible with this aim.
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AN OBLIGATORY TAX FOR EVERY CITIZEN SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR PROTECTION OF ENVIROMENT We spend money like there is no tomorrow, why do not we spend it wisely? Agreement: We have lot of taxes, lot of them are senseless and useless because money is not really covering the aim they are supposed to achieve. Disagreement: “It is not about money pay but it is about how this money will be spent” Compromise: We need a more concrete aid which includes spreading consciousness of how invest money in preserving the environment, especially among wealthy people.
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY In this workshop participants asked to discuss and come up with a plan in which they will explain what they will do without electricity. The purpose of this workshop was to make the participants express their opinions of the importance of their actions and come up with a plan! The exact question they got was this: Because of an extraterestral attack, all sources of energy in your country were destroyed and you don’t have electricity anymore. Suddenly, government managed to support energetic system but only for 3 hours then the situation will become again problematic, so no electricity. What are the first 5 actions will you do in these 3 hours ?
The government managed again to support electricity but this time only for 2 hours. In extended groups choose 3 actions that you want to do in these 2 hours.
Their answers and their plans was really joyful to hear. Expressed with smiles and self esteem that caused from their survival spirit! The participants said that they would love to spend their time of electricity free as teams and not alone! They would prefer to watch a movie all together consuming their laptops battery or eat a meal all together. They also mentionen different social activities such as parties or maybe big meetings! To accomplish their willings they decided to charge their batteries. Cook lots of food and take a shower before the electricity runs out.
DE FAT CLOTHING This is a business plan created by participants. •
Name: de fat clothing
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Explain your ideas: we want to create a brand, using second hand clothes which will be personanized to our client.Ecological, fashion, recycling, eco friendly
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Caracterize your future costumer: our product will be attractive particularly to young men and women who are careful about the nature.
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Build your commercial strategy: we have noticed the number of people who have in their heart the nature is increasing, this is because of the serious pollution problem that the earth owns. Also we found out that people are happier when they are helping the nature, they feel them selfs useful. Our product will help not only the environment but also will change people’s behaviours. At the beginning we will use social media to promote our prodocts, explecially onstagram, nowdays it’s the best way to a fashion product. About our competitors, at the beginning we couldn’t satisfy a big supply, so we could have some delay, but the productions will have hight quality, outr arms will be in contact with costumers to create a something extreamaly personalized.
• Promote your products: we will engage an instagram fashion bogger to earn visibility throught his/her followers. Also we will organize events to sensitize people about pollution problems.
RETHINK (RECYCLED THINGS) This is a business plan created by participants. •
ReThink (Recycled Things)
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The idea is low cost decoration by recycled materials, using a variety of methods, such as decoupage. Mainly, our products decorative objects with a vintage aesthetic, only from eco-friendly materials.
• Our target audience is people of both sexes in both ages interested in decorating any room using alternative and eco-friendly methods. Furthermore, we have low cost production, so our prices will be accessible to any wage.
• Nowadays, there are a lot of decoration companies and most of them have started using eco-friendly materials. What separates us our company from all the others is the originality of the products. Moreover, our main target audience is citizens of the “hometown” of ReThink, Busteni. They will get to know us through evets (presentation/display of the products) and social media. We can start with fewer costumers and if the result is satisfying, we can start selling the products online (skip real store expenses). As for the resources, at first, we will use volunteers (high school and university students) interested in the topic and when the company grows, we can hire employees. No special financial support is needed, because of the low-cost materials and the volunteers. •
Word of mouth expansion in Busteni, local media (newspapers, magazines), active social media accounts and frequent display of products in exhibitions.
LITTLE BIT PLANET •
Name: Little bit planet
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Explain the idea: Make home decoration for people who loves nature using recycled materials
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Will be attractive to: Eco-friendly people and people who loves nature or wants special decorations
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Commercial strategy: At the beginning we will use ourselves resources, and then when we make profit, we will invest the money in ourselves. We will search a business partner who can invest in our business. We can make a deal with flowershops to expose our products and sell in the same shop. Also in the lampshops our company won’t sell a product but a service. The product will be allowed with a low-cost but our business is base on refiled inside. According this strategy, we will make our costumes loyal. As soon as the client buy our products, he will be a part of the family. The competitors are not selling a service, they are selling a product
• Promote your service: Sell the products in ferias, sell in decoration shops, sell in garden shops, sell in lamps shops.
FLYERS Participants prepared with pleasant their flyers to share the knowledge they took from their workshops about the Dark side of consumism.
PARTICIPANT’S INTERVIEW Participants asked to express their feelings, memories or something that they learned and this is their response: Filip Gjorgoski: There are no words that I can use to express my feelings. It was a pleasure to work with this people, I am so glad that I met them and I hope to see them soon. Ewa Lubinska: The most important part of this project for me was the ability to gain new experience as the leader of the Polish group. The project in Busteni met my expectations completely. It was very well prepared, led professionally and thanks to an amazing atmosphere I felt there like in a big family. Andranda Meret: It was a very nice experience, I met beautiful and lovely people and I learn how to consum less Dominika Poznanska: Soo about feelings of course I had a lot of fun during whole exchange. The best part I think it was fashion show because I was one of the team who were doing this kind of task. Kristina Lukanovska: Okay here even though I’ve participated in more youth exchanges this was the first one where I expressed myself as a creative person. Making all those crafts while enjoying the mountain’s beauty will be my lasting memory. Especially the bondness that we reached as a premium group during climbing the mountains, communicating and solving a global problem through fun activities was an amazing experience. Mimoza Serafimovska: This exchange was such a wonderful experience I loved every experience. I loved every activity, every art piece we made together and most of all I loved the fact that I got to meet all these beautiful and creative people. I will always cherish the memories, and hope that someday I will meet everyone again.
Dario Jovanovski : The Busteni’s project called Dark side of Consumism was a good experience for me. I met a lot of people from different countries and cultures. I would like to thank all of the organizations who were involved in this wonderful and memorable project. Diego Ianni: Every project that I did it was special, they gave me something new, but the last in Busteni, it was weird in a positive way. Every single person was fantastic, clever full of ideas, we were a ‘’premium group’’. I had never felt myself so close in a group of unknown people. I will remember this project for the rest of my life. Dave Raven: The last time I was in youth exchange was when I was maybe 8 years old. Since then I though that these programs are for hippies and 1969 woodstock type of people. This year my girfriend’s grandparents got their golden marriage year and at their party I met a very nice lady at 5am. She told us that she is inviting us to go to Romania for free. Without other thoughts and being a bit tipsy we agreed and a month later we ended up there at youth exchange the most interesting culture exchange we have ever been. Write it down to your bucketlist because it’s a MUST! Trips, parties, hard enjoyable work, seeing a bear and changing your opinion on what is Romania. I’m really happy I was part in it! Julia Dolak: Making a movie was a lot of fun and all the workshops were interesting, but cultural evenings? Oh God, that was such a great idea. For example I've learned some things about Greece from you đ&#x;˜‰ I'm very thankful that I could take a part in something like this project. Viktor Jakimovski: It was very good experience. I learned a lot of new things, met very beautiful people and cultures. I looking forward to do it again! Popescu Cosmin: 1) I learned that no matter where you are,originally,you can still make friends from different sides of the world 2) I learned that the communication make people get Close to each other And i learned that,if you spread love and good enervat,you will always have by your side people that love and care for each other Miriam Giuliano: this erasmus + was a wonderful adventure! in which I met beautiful people with whom I share indelible memories. thanks to them I learned the value of sharing, I improved my English and I opened my mind. Andrei Nedelciu: I don't know exactly what to say but i loved the project, i loved the people from it, you guys were awsome and i've learned a lot of new things in special to lower my consum
Marin Any: The project was a great way for me to be more aware about my impact to the world, more exactly that everyone's action matters, even if you think it was just "a plastic cup or a straw" Fani Sakellariou: In one of our first group activities we were asked which superpower we would like to have and I had no idea because I never needed one. Now I know, I would like to be able either to freeze time so that I never have to leave this place or go back in time so that I can come back here whenever I miss it. Carina Maria Supeala: When I'm thinking about Erasmus I'm thinking about people, knowledge, parties and how I can deal with my expectations. I learn from this project how I can be more responsible and how I can interact with another people. The conclusion is that the project was as I wanted also the people. Nikola Tashkov: Although this is the third time I visit Romania I am happy to say that I discovered so many new things here. I want to thank everybody for being so friendly and helpful. Marco Panuccio: The best thing this project left to me is the surprise of finding so many similarities among differences and the appreciation of differences among similarities... Svetlio Dekov: So much fun with so many new amazing people.. I really enjoyed that experience! Anna Paltusova: I really like this project, as it is well organized and prepared. What did I really like? People. We came from different countries, cultures, traditions,but we became as one family who cares and respects each other. This project helps to discover new skills, oportunites, ideas, find new friends. 40 amazing people from 8 countries!!! Konstantinos Kazilieris: This program helped me to overcome some of my fears and do things that I didn't know I could. I would totally do it again! Sabrina Raileanu: I love this youth exchange because I really love to work in team. I improved my skills and my abilities. This was my first project and I really learned a lot of new things. Erica Greco: This Erasmus+ progect is one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. It gave me the opportunity to visit another country, get to know other beautiful people and learn many things about other cultures
Cris Martin: The most special thing for me in this exchange it was the creativity to all participants. We have created wonderful poster and presentations or theaters. The
other has been the respect between all people, cultures, ideas etc. Finaly we need more projects like these because teenagers improve their thinking about tradition to other countries and appearance. Julija Sendija: No matter what size shoes you wear, you can always reduce your footprint. Don't be mean, just go green. Tsveta Krumova: Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace, you (imagine – John Lennon) Jelena Lace: From my experience, I can say this project is really well organized and gives a great chance to youngsters to explore the topic of consumption in intercultural atmosphere. There were a lot of useful workshops, some of my favourite ones were “world coffee”, land art in the forest and practical workshops, when we gave “second” life to already used things. Overall, this project is a good base for international encounter, mutual project idea development and of course fun and enjoyment in the nature and some cities of Romania. Big thanks to Tolea for making this happen! Weronika Proskura: On this project I learned to cooparate with other people in the group by making a film or doing another exercise. I found out that buying many things destroys the environment and we must buy what we need the most. I became more open and improved my language skills. Maya Koleva: I like that I can be creative. All projects are really fun. We all take part in them, we are split in mixed groups, which helps to get to know each other and get closer. Kiril Chilev: The program Erasmus+ offers a lot of opportunities for the youngsters. You can learn many things about different cultures and themes. Also it is a cheap visit to other countries. So I think that this program is pretty good. Froso Asparagathou: I’ve never thought that days pass by that fast and people you only know for a week can feel so close to you. That’s something I realized these days at Busteni that now feels like a second home to me. Arianna Greco: I’ve never been in a project like this before; I’m happy and proud that I can be a part of it and that I could have met beautiful people with different ideas and points of view. I think that this kind of comparison between people is something that can help to make real difference!
Karmel’s Mundus: In this exchange, I learnt so many things related to overconsumption but what I appreciated most was the social part of the programme. I realised how important is that cultures work together in order to make the world a better place for everyone. It will be only listening to others how we will achieve a world free from conflict. So, please don't stop arranging international exchanges! George Dimoultsis: I knew that traveling make you feel good, meeting new people, discovering new ideas, new cultures but I couldn’t imagine meeting such a beautiful people and having such an extremely amazing time. Programs like this make me believe that when comes to teamwork.. even if we are from different cultures, the result will be AMAZING!
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.