Young, committed people from the biosphere reserve ‘Minett UNESCO Biosphere’ or the surrounding area called for exchange meetings.
Copyright photo: Angela-Hammer (Biosphärengebiet Schwäbische Alb)
Young people aged 18 to 25 can still apply until 30 June 2021 for free participation in the “MAB Youth Forum 2021” in the Swabian Alb biosphere reserve in Germany from 24-27 September 2021. The planned 60 participants from 16 German and other neighbouring UNESCO biosphere reserves can expect a programme around the theme of participation, i.e., taking part, being involved, and having a say. All this against the background of sustainable development in biosphere reserves.
The young adults will spend a long weekend at the Hofgut Hopfenburg in Münsingen with an exchange of ideas for more participation, excursions to the Swabian Alb biosphere area, various workshops, sustainability topics, mutual inspiration, campfire evenings and much more. Following the forum, there is the opportunity to implement your own small projects on the topics of participation and sustainability in your own biosphere reserve. Appropriate funding is available for this purpose.
Interested young people can obtain further information on the MAB Youth Forum 2021 from the administration of the biosphere reserve “Minett UNESCO Biosphere, +352 26 17 97 773, Mail: prosud@prosud.lu.
Background MAB Youth Forums:
“MAB – Man and Biosphere is a UNESCO programme for research into human-environment relations. It is implemented by the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, model regions for linking sustainable development and nature conservation.
The aim of the youth forums of the MAB programme is to network committed young adults from biosphere reserves, to strengthen their identification with biosphere reserves, to promote their motivation for commitment, to train them further and to give them a voice. Young people living and working in biosphere reserves should be encouraged to actively contribute to the sustainable development of ‘their’ biosphere reserve and the world network of biosphere reserves.
The first international MAB Youth Forum took place in 2017 in the Po Delta Biosphere Reserve (Italy). It was attended by young volunteers from over 142 biosphere reserves around the world. Other MAB Youth Forums have since been held around the world with varying scope. In 2019, the first MAB Youth Forum for the German-speaking region took place in the Rhön biosphere reserve.