The proposed project aims to engage public authorities through a competition and to develop a targeted peer-to-peer learning program, to increase the uptake of cross-sectoral integrated urban planning at district level. The consortium is composed of 7 competent partners from countries covering different socio-economic and geographical areas of Europe, 6 of whom will implement all the project activities in their country, while the last partner, including its linked third party, serves as a supporting expert. National competitions for municipalities will enable the matching of forerunner cities in the field of integrated planning with committed cities, based on their excellence as well as outstanding ambitions. This transparent and innovative matching procedure will help to promote the contents of the project and to activate municipalities. The following peer-to-peer learning program, including a total of 42 municipalities will increase the capacities of municipal politicians, technical planning staff and communications representatives to effectively plan, finance, communicate and implement the energy transition. Targeted workshops will address the specific needs of these groups. The partners will draw on their broad experience to enrich, guide and moderate the peer-exchanges. With their increased capacities, 24 committed cities will develop institutionalised Energy Plans for the energy efficient development of one model district in their territory. The program also includes a European exchange dimension, to connect municipal authorities across the EU. The knowledge gained during this program will be disseminated by the consortium to further multiply the number of integrated planning projects for energy efficiency. MULTIPLY will contribute to the expected impact, triggering energy savings of around 177GWh/year and the production of renewable energy of around 80 GWh/year. It will link 42 municipalities across Europe and directly reach an estimated 960 municipal professionals with its learning programs.

CONTEXTThe IPCC reports, as well as the Paris Agreement of COP21, indicate the urgency in acting on climate change. The issues raised by climate change are especially important to young people, who in their lifetime will be impacted most by climate change. The international response to these challenges has been inadequate and in particular, adequate innovative practices in communicating climate change to young people have not been developed.NEEDSOrganisations focused on climate change and young people need to explore good practice in communicating the issues in a non-doomsday manner. Such methodologies must be inclusive and address diversity. There is also a need for developing social, civic and intercultural competences among young people to empower them to act and to influence decision-makers.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Aim: To form an international partnership in order to raise the capacity of parts to manage manage international projects and to motivate and empower young people to get involved in issues and decision-making associated with climate change.Objectives•To raise the capacity of partners to manage international projects•To identify good practice in communicating information on climate change to young people.•To promote intercultural dialogue, strengthen acceptance of diversity in society and promote active citizenship among young participants. PROJECT CONSORTIUM1. Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) Lead organisation. Environmental NGO situated in NW Ireland, focused on climate change and promotion of renewable energies. EVS coordiinating organisation, hosting 4 volunteers. Member of national and international environmental networks2. DOOR (Croatia): DOOR’s main activities are awareness rising, education and policy work and its main topics are renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, energy poverty, climate change mitigation and rural development. DOOR is implementing “Sustainable Energy School” for volunteers. EVS participants have already been sent to sustainability- related programs. Since its foundation, DOOR has been implementing national and EU projects dealing with topics of sustainable development, sustainable energy and climate change.3. Legambiente: Legambiente is a non-profit association born in 1980. The mission of the association is to make the environmental culture the centre of a new kind of development and diffused well-being. Important values for the association are the improvement of environmental quality, the fight against all forms of pollution, a wise use of natural resources, the construction of a more balanced relationship between human beings and the nature. The association supports renewable energies and GMO-free agriculture and it is committed against the greenhouse effect.4. Youth Work Ireland (GALWAY): A voluntary organisation with Charitable Status. We work with young people, families, communities and statutory organisations to provide developmental youth work opportunities for 10-25 year olds in Galway City and County. In 2014, we provided services to over 5000 young people. We support volunteer-led youth clubs and staff-led youth projects. MAIN ACTIVITIES1. Formation of new partnership between four organisations in Ireland, Italy and Croatia.2. Organisation of five international meetings in the partner countries.3. Agreeing on good practice, especially in the areas of finance, communications, dissemination and evaluation;4. Organisation of Blended Mobility event. This included planning, selection of venue, selection of participants, design of pre-event training tool using Facebook group; hosting of 24 young people on Solta Island, Croatia; facilitation of workshops and discussions; evaluation and dissemination.5. Organisation of Seminar during Final meeting. This contributed to publicity for the project and dissemination of results.RESULTS 1. The international partnership raised the capacity of the Irish partners to manage international projects using good management practice.2. It built relationships between young people in the three partner countries3. It motivated and empowered young people to get involved in issues and decision-making associated with climate change.4. It developed an innovative new learning tool, using Facebook as the platform, for young people to learn about climate change and form interactive discussion groups.5. It promoted intercultural dialogue, strengthened acceptance of diversity in society and promoteed active citizenship among young participants. IMPACT* Improved awareness by young people of challenges posed by climate change*Empowerment of young people to have more active participation in society and get involved in climate action and decision-making.. * For GEAI and YWI Galway, raising of capacity to work at EU/international level. * All partners gained through the development and transfer of innovative practices in communicating climate change to young people.

The White Paper for International Voluntary Service (2011-2021) draws the strategic objectives for Cultural Heritage and Diversity with the vision to ‘Preserving, protecting, and promoting cultural heritage and diversity through International Voluntary Service activities in order to foster mutual understanding and respect within the global community’. With the Strategic objectives to create:A. A global community where mutual understanding and respect are brought by active citizens that preserve protect and promote cultural heritage and diversityB. Develop and expand cooperation between organisations, institutions and government bodies in the field of Cultural Heritage and DiversityC. Raise awareness about the impact of IVS in cultural heritage and diversity issuesHeritage has been an important element of local communities where IVS organisations have set up projects since 1920 (1st workcamp). Throughout the years organisations, mainly in Europe, have developed cooperation with various stakeholders, involving young and adult volunteers in the protection, preservation and valorisation of our tangible and intangible heritage. This topic has been taken until recent years in other regions of the world demonstrating the value of non-formal learning as the IVS educational approach to disseminate the values and expertise developed at the inter-governmental level to a large public and in particular to young people, based on a dynamic dialogue between the different stakeholders.The aim of this project is to work towards the strategic objectives of the White Paper and to promote the work of IVS organisations and NFL, whilst valorising local customs and the diversity of these.The world is under an increasing threat from globalisation and extremism; these two factors contribute to the breaking down of cultural norms, traditions and the destruction and loss of heritage sites. This project will celebrate both tangible and intangible heritage and to revel in the diversity of this heritage. The applicant organisations propose actions which focus on food, culture, language, cultural and natural sites indigenous traditions …. etc. The aim is to be as diverse as possible and to show the richness of this diversity and to include local people as educators, emphasizing the bottom up approach of IVS and the work in local communities and with young people with fewer opportunities.The partners are grassroots IVS organisations from Africa, Asia and Europe for a 24 month project The different actions include:• Research, analysis and preparation phase (September 2016)• Stakeholders Forum (October 2016)• Capacity building trainings on Volunteer and Heritage Management ( April/May 2017)• Local Awareness Raising Actions (June 2017 – December 2017) • Global Communication Campaign (January 2017 – March 2018) • Final evaluation and dissemination meeting (April 2018)• Finalisation of the Impact measurement results and publication (April-August 2018)

Air pollution is the environmental topic that European citizens worry about most (Eurobarometer 2013). It puts considerable damage to health, agriculture and our natural environment. Despite these facts, the readiness and power of European citizens to take actions themselves is limited. The drivers of the CAPTOR project are three large civil society organizations. Being the interface between ministries for environmental issues, national and local political decision makers and the citizens, their experience evidences that the provision of data and information on air pollution to citizens in top-down and passive ways, as it happens today, is not sufficient to engage a critical mass of participating citizens required to support transitions in the systems of production and consumption that are the root cause of air pollution. CAPTOR combines the concepts of citizen science, collaborative learning and environmental grassroots activism to leverage the collective intelligence of existing networks of local communities, allowing them to understand reasons and consequences of air pollution; to stimulate debate; to address authorities with scientific valuable, robust data from citizens’ network of monitoring stations; and to transform this discussion into solutions. It runs three big pilots in Austria, Italy and Spain, driven by grassroots activists and local communities where citizens will engage in the project on different levels to address their concerns. The consortium includes a balanced group of multidisciplinary partners, including: institutions with recognised experience in ICT technologies, and in environmental and social sciences; one of the largest community networks in the world; and 3 NGOs with experience in grass root environmental activism and a strong links in the territory. The project has a large impact capacity, as it is reflected by the fact that more than 82 stakeholders from 21 European countries have already shown interest in the proposal results.

The aim of the SEEMLA project is the reliable and sustainable exploitation of biomass from marginal lands (MagL), which are used neither for food nor feed production and are not posing an environmental threat. The main target groups are regional authorities and public or private owners of MagLs, who can provide knowledge on land availability and are responsible for managing these. Furthermore foresters, farmers and the civil society affected by transformation of MagL into energy crop plantations are important cooperation partners for the project’s success. The initial challenge of the project is to define MagL. In order to achieve high yields on the MagL the goal is to develop and optimize cropping systems for special sites. The project focuses both on existing plantations of energy crops on MagL and on the establishment of new plantations on MagLs. General guidelines and manuals shall attract and help relevant stakeholders as well as piloting shall prove the feasibility of SEEMLA results. The first scenario will enable the assessment of good practice and the refinement of current practices, making them more sustainable (environmental, economic, social). The second approach will transfer good practices to underused MagL. The project will focus on three main objectives: the promotion of re-conversion of MagLs for the production of bioenergy through the direct involvement of farmers and foresters, the strengthening of local small scale supply chains and the promotion of plantations of bioenergy plants on MagLs. Moreover the expected impacts are: Increasing the production of bioenergy, farmers’ incomes, investments in new technologies and the design of new policy measures. The project team is balanced between scientific and technical partners as well as national and regional organisations. By including partners from South-East, Eastern and Central Europe the knowledge transfer between regions of different climatic and political backgrounds can be established.