The project will be implemented in Požeško-slavonska county with the aim of promoting volunteering and active citizenship among children and youth and organizing 22 volunteer environmental actions designed by the participants. The number 22 will symbolize 2022. Through the project, we will conduct trainings in 22 communities, and then the participants will design and implement the planned actions.

Požeško-slavonska county, 20 rural places around the county + Požega and Pakrac

Project "Be Active - Be Eco" will actively work on the following challenges:
- Insufficient involvement of children and youth in active community work and work to improve the quality of life, lack of civic education (non formal education for children and young people about volunteerism and active citizenship, recognition of local problems and creating approaches how to create a better life in the community)
- Lack of content for young children (children and young people will be empowered to create activities in their communities)
- Poor transport connections (we will bring activities to 22 communities so more children and young people can participate despite lack of transport possibilities)
- Underdeveloped environmental awareness (all activities will contribute to the environment)

The target groups in the project are children and young people from 22 communities in Požeško-slavonska county (20 rural places and 2 towns, Požega and Pakrac). Children and young people will be from local schools, organizations and institutions. Age of the participants will be from 10 to 25.
22 communities x minimum 15 participants = 330 total number of participants (minimum)

The activities we will carry out on the project are:
- Presentation of project activities to the target groups
- Education of children and youth on volunteering and active citizenship
- Educational workshops on identifying problems and needs in the community and creation of implementation plans for potential volunteer ecological actions
- Public discussion with various stakeholders in the community (participants will present their ideas and together they will make the final selection of actions that will be implemented),
- Implementation of 22 volunteer environmental actions in different communities
- Production of video materials that will unite all implemented activities
- Presentation of project results through a final conference
- Final evaluation.
The methods we will use in the work are: individual and group work, discussions, presentations, videos, community work, etc.

The results we will achieve with the project are:
- Empowered children and youth to volunteer and be active in the community building
- Conducted 22 volunteer environmental actions in different places throughout the county
- Children and youth empowered to present their ideas to various stakeholders in the community and advocate for their implementation
- Children and young people become recognized in the community as important wheels of change
- Made video material with implemented activities that also serves as an example of good practice
- A final conference was held
- Different stakeholders are connected and encouraged to create the best possible environment for the development of children and youth and their active involvement in the community work

Children and young people will learn about volunteering and active citizenship through educational workshops. They will learn how to identify problems and needs in their community and how to turn them into concrete actions (small projects). We will empower them to present their ideas as well as to advocate for their implementation. It is important for us to give participants the opportunity to present to different stakeholders what is important to them in the community and what they would like to change, to make better and different. Together with other stakeholders, participants will choose ideas which they will implement in their communities. Participants will also present the results of the activities to the wider community during the closing conference and through various media.

Katarina Bajt is a teacher at a high school of crafts. She has many years of experience working with young people through school, but also various social initiatives. She is the initiator of a volunteer club in her school and continuously encourages young people to be active.
Danijela Beretin has been working with children and young people for 20 years through various associations. She has carried out numerous activities and projects to promote volunteering and active citizenship among children and youth. She also led workshops on educating young people about the functioning of local government.
Other team members (3) are volunteer coordinators, artists, environmental activists, educators etc.

Major expenses are:
- Materials and refreshments - workshops: 3300 EUR
- Materials for volunteer eco actions: 5500 EUR
- Production of video material (promotion of results): 2000 EUR
- Conference costs (place, food and refreshments, materials etc): 5000 EUR
- Travel costs (promotion, workshops, conference): 1500 EUR
- Operations and runnings costs: 2000 EUR
- Project team (Project Manager, Coordinator for volunteer actions, Workshop coordinator, Public visibility Coordinator) : 19200 EUR

We want to get feedback or someone can share their experience of working with children and youth in rural areas and what are the methods that have been useful for the best possible work. We want to hear the opinion of others about what they think about the idea of the proposed project.