GreenCreatives: Designing Circular Culture with Youth Participation

Young people, particularly industrial design students, possess strong creative capacities that can contribute to the green transition and civic participation when channelled through participatory projects. However, they often lack opportunities to engage with real societal challenges and decision-making processes. At the same time, Istanbul Commerce University, as the participating institution, aims to enhance students’ practical skills by enabling them to apply theoretical knowledge in real-life contexts, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and civic engagement. This identified need forms the basis for the project.
This project responds to these needs by connecting youth creativity with local community priorities such as circular economy, repair culture, sustainable materials, and inclusive public spaces. It supports European Youth Goals (notably “Sustainable Green Europe”, “Inclusion and Equality” and “Youth Participation in Democratic Life”) and aligns with the objectives of KA154 Youth Participation Activities, by empowering young people to co-create and advocate for sustainable futures.
Aims
1. To strengthen youth participation in democratic life through design-based civic engagement.
2. To co-create prototypes and services addressing local environmental and cultural challenges.
3. To equip young people with 21st century competences (collaboration, creativity, systems thinking, communication).
4. To deliver an open-source toolkit that enables replication of the model by other youth groups and organisations.
5. To enhance students’ practical learning by allowing them to implement theoretical knowledge in real-world projects,
contributing to both personal and institutional development.