RURAL LENS – A Green Future Through Young Eyes

RURAL LENS – A Green Future Through Young Eyes is a small-scale Erasmus+ KA210-YOU partnership coordinated by Çat Local Action Group (Çat YEG) in one of the most disadvantaged rural districts of Eastern Türkiye (Çat, Erzurum). The project aims to empower rural young people (15–19) as eco-citizens and digital storytellers by combining green action, digital media and youth participation. Together with local schools and youth workers, we will engage around 30 rural and urban youth in a series of workshops and field activities around the Çat Dam and surrounding villages. Young people will document environmental problems (especially plastic pollution), collect simple citizen-science data and transform their observations into creative outputs such as a short film, a podcast mini-series and social media spots. In parallel, they will reflect on their rights, needs and dreams for the future and co-create a Rural Youth Manifesto addressed to local and regional decision-makers. Expected results include: a group of trained youth with stronger green and digital competences; a set of communication products (film, podcast, awareness videos) created by the participants; a short environmental brief and plastic density map for the Çat Dam area; and a practical guide on how to use digital storytelling and rural journalism with disadvantaged youth. The project also seeks to build a small but long-term Turkey–Europe rural youth cooperation network, starting from Çat and partners from other Programme Countries.