The Association of Agrarian and Environmental Lawyers (AAEL) organized a training for young people – members of the ‘Slovak Scouting’. The training was organized on September 23, 2023 as a part of the event “National Scouting days 2023” organized in Nitra. AAEL prepared a training with the title “The effect of human activities on the planet Earth”. The age of the participants was between 14-23 years and in total 87 young people attended the training.
The main goal of lecturers was to provide knowledge about climate change and legal remedies available to people. The training was not only theoretical. It also consisted of practical examples and tasks, educational games, brainstorming and a lot of discussions. Participants were very engaged and they showed an honest interest in these topics along with concerns towards environmental and climate issues.
The training was designed to achieve the following objectives:
- Introduce young people to legal tools that enable them to effectively pressure local and national governments to take more decisive measures to improve the climate.
- Raise awareness that climate change litigation at the national level is ineffective if courts do not operate independently from the executive power.
- Promote the participation and contribution of citizens and representative associations in democratic and civic life.
Topics and methodology:
Topic of the training was “The Effect of Human Activities on the Planet Earth”. During this training several topics were presented and discussed such as environmental problems, EU legislation, ecological footprint, waste management, negative impacts of industry sectors on the environment, linear economy, circular economy and bioeconomy and European Union’s position as a world leader in the battle against climate change. Participants of the event were provided with basic information on legal tools which can help to protect the climate and several cases on climate change litigation.
Methods used during the training were: presentations, discussions, brainstorming, educational games, group work, exchange of knowledge and experiences and summarization of results.
The practical segment of the training concentrated on hands-on aspects of the topics presented, including the drafting of legal pleadings, the preparation of court claims, the application of various legal tools in real-life scenarios, and the exploration of effective actions related to climate change in interactions with public authorities.
Conclusion:
Slovakia has a wide variety of NGOs, making it challenging to choose the best target group that would benefit most from the topic. AAEL members contacted different NGOs and discussed the project’s objectives and training sessions with their representatives. Ultimately, they decided to organize a comprehensive training session for members of the Slovak Scouts, a group primarily composed of young people focused on various aspects of current societal issues. The added value of this choice is that these scouts are highly active and eager to influence their communities, resulting in a greater multifunctional impact compared to other NGOs.
Organizing the event for such a diverse age group, ranging from 14 to 24, was a significant challenge. However, the lecturers prepared a presentation that explained the topics comprehensively and understandably, ensuring that each participant could grasp the information and apply the practical knowledge in their future endeavors.
The feedback from the participants was very positive, and the Slovak Scouts have expressed interest in attending similar events in the future. They have already contacted AAEL about participating in another event, prompting AAEL to seek new opportunities outside the project to continue these activities. This strong interest demonstrates young people’s enthusiasm for the topic and their desire to learn how they can influence and contribute to climate change solutions at local, regional, and national levels.
Links to the event:
http://www.aaep.uniag.sk/en/content/training-members-ngo-slovak-scouting-part-agit-project