Konstantinos Karalariotis, Coordinator of Ecogenia’s “Athens Sustainability Workforce Booster Initiative”, writes about the live actions of the program and the goals achieved.
With this question in mind, the “Athens Sustainability Workforce Booster Initiative” was launched in the autumn of 2024 to provide young people with the inspiration and the tools needed to actively navigate their personal & professional pathways for climate action and create a sustainable future.
The two main activities of the program – the “Find Your Climate Superpower” workshop and the “Human Live Library: Sustainability as a Professional Compass” – brought together young people, experts and professionals from different sectors, creating a unique hub for the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
The first activity – the interactive workshop “Find Your Climate Superpower” – took place on 16 October at the Demos Centre of the American College in Greece, in Plaka. Through this experience, participating individuals were guided through a facilitated workshop to unlock their unique “climate superpower.” The process included identifying where their passions, current skill set, resources, and networks intersect in order to realize their own unique contribution to climate action. At the same time, the workshop was geared towards understanding the systemic changes required for sustainability, as well as the systemic constraints that are often posed, proposing practical solutions that can be implemented at the personal and collective level. In doing so, space was provided to understand the importance of community in achieving change.
A key element, however, that ran through the content of the workshop horizontally was the need for joy. With the aim of internal motivation, participants were asked to focus on actions that filled them with meaning, placing at the core of climate action the need for each individual to act in an empowering way for themselves, especially in a field that often involves difficulties and frustrations. At the end of the workshop, the participating individuals had the opportunity to share their ideas and concerns, a conversation that continued and concluded with “Climate Drinks”, an opportunity for networking in a more relaxed environment. The positive response from participants highlighted the importance of self-awareness and community in the process of change.
The second event of the “Athens Sustainability Workforce Booster Initiative”, continued on November 6th. The Impact Hub Athens hosted the second activity of the program, “Human Live Library: Sustainability as a Professional Compass”. This event enabled young people to hear the personal stories of professionals from various sustainability sectors, such as urban design, education, energy and creative industries, with a focus on their unconventional career pathways in order to inspire young people as they navigate their own journies.
The event was enhanced by the accessibility of parallel interpretation in Greek Sign Language by Liminal and concluded with the “Climate Cafe”, organized in collaboration with Dataphoria. This second meeting place gave participants the opportunity to get closer, exchange views and expand their network.
With more than 50 active participants in each activity, the Athens Sustainability Workforce Booster Initiative achieved its goal of providing a crossroads of experience, knowledge and motivation for the new generation. Participants were able to:
– Become familiar with different professional paths to sustainability.
– Understand the value of cross-sectoral cooperation.
– Strengthen their confidence and creativity.
The success of the “Athens Sustainability Workforce Booster Initiative” demonstrates the potential of youth as a driving force for social and environmental change. With the support of the Municipality of Athens and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund, 2024 ended on a positive note for sustainable development in Athens.
These actions reminded us that sustainability is not just a goal, but also a journey full of challenges, partnerships and unlimited possibilities. We hope that the experiences gained by the participants will serve as a springboard for them to continue to envision and work for a better world.
