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In 2008 the British Council launched the European element of its global climate programme; Challenge Europe. The Challenge Europe project is a three year project that aspires to make a definite and lasting impact on the climate change debate, and is ambitious in its aim to accelerate change to a low carbon future.
In the summer of 2009 we started the second year of the project, with activity in 15 countries across Europe: Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, UK and Ukraine.
In each of the participating countries we selected 15 young people from all walks of life to become ‘Climate Advocates’. Over the period of one year each country team will work collaboratively to identify the key areas where they think they can make a real difference and to develop three concrete ideas to reduce carbon use through changes in policy, business or human behaviour.
The groups will then pitch their ideas to broader publics, specifically reaching out to decision-makers and organisations, campaigning for implementation and support in an effort to make the ideas become reality.
The philosophy of the campaign is simple: to create momentum through collaboration, innovation, energy, drive, passion, understanding and knowledge-sharing.
During the second year of Challenge Europe in Finland, Climate Advocates are developing three independent projects, which are focusing on low-carbon travel, climate impacts of housing and commuting to work by bicycle. They have been active on different forums in Finland, and have participated in international events such as Nordic Climate Solutions in Copenhagen, Climate Camp in Slovenia and COP15 in Copenhagen.
The recruitment of the Climate Advocates for the third and last year of the project will take place in March 2010. During the last project year the team of Climate Advocates in Finland will be asked to focus on issues that have an implication to the Baltic Sea and to develop three concrete ideas to improve the future of the Baltic Sea through changes in policy, business or human behaviour with arts and culture as a cross-cutting theme. British Council Finland made a commitment to focus the local Challenge Europe projects to issues related to the Baltic Sea at the Baltic Sea Action Summit (BSAS) in Helsinki February 2010.
Have a look at British Council Finland's commitment on BSAS website.
For further information please contact:
Jari Ingerttilä
Projects and Partnerships Manager
Tel. +358 9 7743 3350
first.last@britishcouncil.fi
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