Legacy of the Soil: Building Sustainable Futures Through Learning and Collaboration

Legacy of the Soil: Sustainable Agriculture and Safe Food (Project No: 2024-3-ES02-KA153-YOU-000260774) is an Erasmus+ Mobility of Youth Workers project coordinated by Generaciones Saludables España. The mobility took place in Gijón, Spain, from 28 April to 5 May 2025, bringing together youth workers from Turkey, Spain, Hungary, Poland, and Iceland. The project focused on promoting sustainable agriculture, safe food systems, climate awareness, and non-formal education methodologies while strengthening international cooperation and professional competencies among youth workers.

Throughout the mobility, participants engaged in a wide range of non-formal learning activities designed to enhance both personal and professional development. Interactive icebreakers, orientation exercises, and collaborative workshops created an inclusive environment where participants improved their communication, teamwork, leadership, and intercultural skills. These activities laid the foundation for effective international cooperation and encouraged participants to exchange ideas and best practices related to sustainability.

The project also emphasized healthy lifestyles and environmentally responsible behavior through practical learning experiences. Cycling workshops promoted sustainable mobility as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional transportation while encouraging physical well-being. Participants further developed their observation, problem-solving, and environmental awareness through exploration activities that connected them with the local surroundings and demonstrated the importance of sustainable living in everyday life.

Another key objective was to increase participants' understanding of the Erasmus+ Programme, Youthpass certification, and the eight key competences for lifelong learning. Through presentations, competence-based games, self-assessment exercises, and reflective discussions, participants gained a deeper appreciation of non-formal education and learned how to recognize, document, and transfer their newly acquired knowledge and skills into their future youth work practices.

Cultural exchange served as one of the strongest components of the mobility, allowing participants to present their countries' agricultural traditions, local food culture, environmental challenges, and cultural heritage. By combining intercultural dialogue with continuous evaluation and reflection, the project strengthened participants' critical thinking, communication, and cooperation skills while inspiring them to become active promoters of sustainable agriculture, safe food practices, environmental responsibility, and European collaboration within their own communities.