CALL FOR PARTNERS: Rethinking consumption: personal choice as an action

Consumption is one of the key reasons for environmental issues and social injustices worldwide. The simple act of questioning the necessity of goods and trying to consume less and more sustainably can have a huge impact on both the environment and people involved in production.

Aims of the project “ Rethinking consumption: personal choice as an action” are to tackle the issue of overconsumption and ways it is seen as an expression of freedom; to question it and find a sustainable balance in everyday life through exploring alternatives, such as swapping, repurposing, cherishing what is already there; to make these alternatives available to the communities in European and partner countries with different economic system experiences that have led to capitalism; to use online communication tools , such as social media, to get young members of the community involved in the topic and to help them believe that their choice matters.

Since the launch of Fridays for Future in 2018, the ecological issue has gained momentum and revealed a connection between global ecology and economy. Fashion industry, among other fields, called for transparency in production and for reevaluation of garment workers’ labour conditions. One should not forget though that the fashion industry largely responds to the consumers’ demand. By addressing consumers directly it is possible to bring awareness to the problem of overconsumption that remains a big stimulus for the flawed processes of the fashion industry. If consumers could see how they influence the fashion industry, they will discover the significance of their consumption choices, they will see it as action. Social media is a great tool to reach out to young people and help them learn about social injustices, environmental crises, as well as link critical thinking with online and/or offline activities that can influence structural changes. European society is based on individualism, therefore it is important to work on an individual level. During this project we will work with people on an individual level aiming to inspire them to act as multiplayers in their communities. During the project we will tackle the issues of consumption needs, manipulations performed by companies profiting from overconsumption, the concept of slowing down and taking back the control of making consumption choices without the influence of fast changing trends.

Keeping in mind that slowing down can be a privilege we wish to work with partner organisations from European regions with different entry points for capitalism and consumerism experience. We wish to have balance in organisations from traditionally "Western" European countries and "Eastern" or “Central-Eastern” European partner countries who have had to go through a crash course in capitalism since the 1990s.

Social media campaigns (e.g.such as hashtag campaigns) have proven to connect people online and to reach an audience that might otherwise have been out of reach to community workers . In organising events that bring people together from online to offline space it will be possible to work with people who remain unaware of their role in the consumption chain and can work as multiplayers in their online and offline environments.

“Rethinking consumption” will be divided into 2 parts:

Autumn 2020: digital co-working through webinars and initiating a social media campaign addressing the overconsumption issue in fashion (Autumn 2020).The First part of the project will consist of digital co-working through webinars and initiating a social media campaign addressing the overconsumption issue in fashion (Autumn 2020). In order to draw a clear connection between the online campaign and its potential impact on the community both onand offline, partners will organise local offline activities with young people.

Spring 2021: 6-day training course with youth workers travelling to Berlin, Germany. This part of the project will be focused on analysing participants' experiences, sharing best practises and coming up with solutions to issues that they faced. Workshops with fashion activists (Fashion Revolution Germany), bloggers (Found On The Street), upcycle designers, swap shop and swap market organizers and other professionals and experts of the sustainable fashion community in Berlin will be a significant part of the project.

Project objectives:

- to develop new tools in ways to work on individual basis and develop a sustainable knowledge exchanging network of youth workers who will initially work as multiplayers;

- to come up with a common concept and practical solutions for the main question of consuming less;

- to find new tools in youth involvement that can be sustainable in long term and inspire less socially active youth;

- to bring together best practices and share knowledge between the youth workers that are active in the field of community work in urban neighborhoods;

- to network with like-minded organizations and bring the knowledge to the outside circle;

- to envision a possible long term alternative to everyday practices;

- to practice using non-formal education methods and develop digital competences;

- to document the process and learning outcomes in a way that is easily accessible to the youth, that will be used for further dissemination.

Target groups / Stakeholders

Youth workers engaged in community work in urban neighbourhoods in Eastern and Western Europe. Consumption has no geographical borders, overconsumption is a global issue and we all face it regardless of our country of origin and location . We are particularly interested in youth workers with different backgrounds and cultural experience in order to find a common solution to deal with fashion consumption. Secondary target groups are local youth and target groups of partner organisations - young people, both those who are already active in their local urban communities and those who will be reached through the social campaign.

Eligible countries

The project applicant is a Berlin-based collective Kulturlabor Trial & Error e. V., we are open for partnerships from EU and neighboring countries, particularly aiming at Eastern Partnership Countries . We are particularly interested in having a balance between Eastern partnership (post-Soviet) and western European countries.

Partner engagement

It is expected, but not limited to, that partner organisations will:

- find participants for the activities;

- participate in the webinars, local activities and training course;

- manage local activities, prepare and support participants, local projects;

- spread the knowledge gained during this project and work as multipliers.

- if relevant, host international activity;

- manage to administrate the project budget part allocated to the partners;

- be active in communication with the coordinating and partner organisation;

- provide project documentation, financial and activity reporting.

If you are interested, please contact us until 02.05.2020 with basic information:

- Organisation ID (OID) nr., Partner Information Form (PIF)

- Brief motivation (why are you motivated to join this project as a partner organisation)

Contact

Email: trialerror.erasmus@gmail.com with the subject '' Rethinking consumption”