I confess: When packing for Brussels, I pictured a classic European conference. Long tables, a few too many serious faces, and a lot of PowerPoint slides. However, the final conference of the Sustainaware project, “Intersections for Impact: A Forum on Health, Environment & Education”, was anything but classic.
Sustainaware (powered by dynamic partners like IZO, YHO, E4C, and YEE) attempted to untie the Gordian knot that ties health, the environment, and education together. We all know polluted air harms our lungs, but how do we translate that essential knowledge into concrete youth-led action?
The first day started with the essential duo: registration and coffee. But things immediately heated up with our keynote speaker, Lena Schilling. Hearing a young voice from the European Parliament address the very issues we care about was the perfect launchpad.
The real work started with the panels. The first panel was on Health, Youth & Climate. Experts like Anna Revilla Bruñol (EMSP), Claudio Lanza (HEAL), and Suzanne Astic (CRIN) connected the dots between the climate crisis and its physical toll on youth, emphasizing that a healthy planet and healthy people are two sides of the same coin. The second panel was on Education & Climate Change. This was my favorite part. With speakers like Alexandre Mabille (EU Climate Pact Ambassador), Anna Marino (YEE) and Olivia Saxer (CAN-E), the focus shifted to how we teach this stuff. It was all about moving beyond textbooks and making climate action tangible.
Lunch was a whirlwind of connections at the Project Fair, chatting with the European Climate Pact Ambassadors, The Earth Society, and Mediterranea. Post-lunch, however, was where things got revolutionary: a three-hour Climate Fresk Workshop. If you haven’t tried it, it’s intense! A highly collaborative, science-based workshop that makes the complex links of the climate crisis ridiculously clear. It was a perfect blend of intellectual thinking and collective engagement, leaving us buzzing (and slightly exhausted).
Day two was all about the next steps, how we take the knowledge and run with it.
The morning started with a panel on Cross-Sectoral Collaboration. With insights from Peter Löffler (DG CLIMA, European Commission) and Assia Oulkadi (EYF), the dialogue focused on the messy, essential work of breaking down organizational silos. It underscored that NGOs can’t do it alone. We need political muscle and cross-sectoral collaboration.
And then came the moment we were all waiting for (or perhaps dreading, if you’re not a fan of timed challenges): the presentation and playthrough of the Digital Escape Room by Escape4Change. This wasn’t a dry presentation of a deliverable; it was a full, interactive experience. We got to test the innovative tool that Sustainaware co-developed. Seeing firsthand how gamification can make the dense topics of climate and health engaging, fast-paced, and educational. This achievement perfectly encapsulated the project’s goal: turning complexity into clear, actionable, and fun solutions.
My takeaway? “Intersections for Impact” was a dynamic, comprehensive deep dive. It proved that when experts, decision-makers, and young activists, fueled by good coffee and great ideas, get together, real, sustainable change isn’t just possible, it’s inevitable.
Thank you once again to all the incredible partners and the support from Erasmus+ for an unforgettable (and highly educational) 48 hours!
Luša Karner
