I. Introduction - Definition of activism and its different forms (social, environmental, political) - 5 min.

1. Ask participants to suggest words they associate with activism. Write them down on the board or on a big piece of paper.
2. Based on their associations, participants create their own definition of activism.
3. One of the participants or the facilitator summarises the collected statements at the end.

Hint: Activism is an effort to promote, obstruct, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reforms with the intention of bringing about change in society. It takes various forms, such as:

• social activism, which addresses issues such as civil rights;
• environmental activism, which focuses on environmental issues;
• political activism, which involves efforts to influence government policies and decisions.

Each form of activism aims to raise awareness, mobilise support and bring about positive change in an area.

II. Introduction - Activism as a method of soft skills development and youth empowerment - 5 min.

1. Introduce the topic of the workshop by saying, "Many analyses of activism focus on tactics and strategies, often overlooking the importance of skills, which are essential for effective campaigning. According to Amnesty International's research, the key skills for effective activist movements are:
• strategic thinking
• effective communication
• structured conversations about campaigning
• being authentic
• being able to use digital skills."
2. Ask participants if they would like to add any other skills needed for effective activism to this list. Write down all the skills on a board or piece of paper so that they are visible to everyone. If the group does not identify skills, you can use the following prompts:
• Group cooperation
• Entrepreneurship
• Innovation
• Critical thinking
• Ability to formulate problems
• Sense of agency.
3. Tell the group that in this workshop they are going to focus on the competences that young people can achieve through activism and on development of some of them through active working methods.

III. Examples of effective activists - 15 min.

1. Divide participants into groups of 3-4 people.
2. Distribute a handout with a brief description of the profiles of successful activist (handout – annex 1). Each group shall receive one profile.
3. If you have knowledge that participants can identify other examples of effective activists that are closer to them, you can ask them to name such people. You may then choose not to use the examples of people given above.
4. The task for each group is to review the information about the activist and reflect in groups on what competences and character traits they think these people needed to realise their actions (max 10 min.). In groups, they should also prepare a 1-minute speech on this topic.
5. Finally, ask each group to present the profile of the activist and the competences they needed.

IV. Wrap up – 5 min.

1. Ask the participants if (after finishing the previous exercise) they would like to add some important skills to the list created in part 1.2. Write them down or ask participants to do it.
2. Wrap up the activity and highlight the most important skills that can be developed through activism.

I. Introduction – 5 min.

Introduce the topic to the group:

1. In this workshop, the main idea is to test and develop one of the key skills of effective activists - communication.
2. In this exercise, participants try to impersonate characters and act out some short scenes. You can use the themes and characters given in the annex 2 or make up your own.
3. The outcome of this exercise is to reinforce the following communication skills:
• active listening skills
• ability to summarise information
• asking clarifying questions for better understanding
• being calm but confident

II. Communication. Working in pairs – 15 min.

1. Pair up the participants and designate one as person A and the other as B.
2. Display the topics to be discussed (annex 2) using the projector (you can also print it but we encourage you to use an electronic version of annex 2).
3. Each pair can choose any topic for discussion.
4. Person A discusses a particular topic or shares a short story with person B for a few minutes (e.g. 3-5 min).
5. The aim of person B is to listen actively, paraphrasing what person A has said and ask clarifying questions. Person B should also use counter-arguments.
6. After a few minutes, roles are swapped and person B becomes the speaker while person A practises active listening, asking clarifying questions and giving counter-arguments.
7. Change partners and repeat the process (if you have time for that).

Read out an example of conversation if workshop participants do not have much knowledge of sustainability. An example of conversation can be found in Tips for Youth Workers.

III. Wrap up – 10 min.

After completing the exercise, discuss insights, challenges, and overall impact on communication skills. Ask questions such as:

• Were there times when you found it difficult to express your thoughts or actively listen? If so, what strategies did you use to overcome these challenges?
• How might the experience of participating in these dialogues influence your approach to discussing environmental issues in the future?
• How did the provocative nature of the topics contribute to a more engaging and dynamic dialogue?

I. Introduction to the topic – 5 min.

1. The topics of the workshop are: sustainable jobs and how young people can influence their creation. This activity allows participants to develop their knowledge of green jobs, creativity and entrepreneurial skills.
2. Ask participants if they know of examples of people who have created green jobs or do extra work that contributes to sustainability (sustainable side-hustle).
3. Conduct a short discussion on this topic (5 min.).

II. Brainstorming on sustainable jobs – 25 min.

1. Divide participants into groups of 4-5 people. Give them big sheets of paper, markers, and descriptions of young activists who have created sustainable jobs (descriptions are provided in annex 3, each group should be given material with three examples of activists).
2. Let participants read the descriptions. This part of the exercise is to serve as an inspiration.
3. Working in groups, participants suggest ideas for businesses or organisations which could offer green jobs. They can also suggest changes that could be made to existing businesses (that they know from their surroundings or from the media) so that these businesses offer new sustainable jobs for young people.
4. Indicate that this is a brainstorming exercise, so none of the suggestions should be blocked, and all be written down on a large sheet of paper. Allocate at least 15 minutes for the brainstorming itself.
5. After the brainstorming, each participant will award three votes for the best ideas by marking them with a dot. It is also time for questions and explanation, if necessary.
6. At the end, the number of votes (dots) for each idea should be counted in the groups and a list of up to five ideas should be compiled, starting with those which have received the most support.

III. Presentation of the outcomes and evaluation – 15 min.

1. When the groups have finished the brainstorming part, one representative of each group presents the best ideas to the forum and explains them shortly (1-2 minutes for each presentation).
2. Finally, ask the participants which competences they have used or strengthened through this exercise? What was the overall impression of this activity?

I. Introduction - 5 min.

1. In this exercise, the group's task will be to create a social campaign. Alternatively, instead of a campaign, you could suggest developing any of the ideas from the previous exercise on creating companies or organisations that could offer sustainable jobs (activity 3).
2. Divide participants into groups of 4-5 people. It will be ideal if participants come from different backgrounds and cultures.
3. Present the groups with a task. This is to design a collaborative community campaign to address a chosen issue.
4. To do this, participants will create a mind map which should consist of the areas listed in annex 4. Print it out for each group or display it on the screen.

II. Mind maps – 35 min.

1. In the middle of the mind map write ‘collaborative social campaign’ (or alternatively ‘green business’ or ‘green organisation’ if you are going to work on ideas from activity 3).
2. Each group, using the mind map, should identify a specific goal relating to sustainable development (e.g. to encourage the use of bicycles and increase the availability of bicycle paths), target group (e.g. campaign aimed at the city authorities and inhabitants), describe the action plan, the resources needed, the timetable, the evaluation, promotion/communication and dissemination methods. If necessary, they can add other important aspects. Allocate at least 20 minutes for this part of the exercise.
3. Next step is presentation of campaign ideas to the forum, highlighting how collaboration played a key role.

III. Wrap up and evaluation – 5 min.

At the end, you may ask the participants summary questions:

1. Was it easy to plan the campaign activities together? What difficulties did you encounter?
2. What do you think it takes to work together in a group? What is needed for effective group work?
3. In the course of your work, did you notice any competences in yourself or other group members? E.g. leadership, creativity and initiative, dealing with criticism, effective communication, etc.? Which of them are important for a successful campaign?

I. Introduction to the topic of self-care – 5 min.

1. Define self-care within the context of activism and its necessity for sustainable engagement.
   Example: Self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s health, particularly in high-stress environments such as activism.
2. Ask the participants to point out the challenges activists face, such as burnout, mental fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, fear of failure, frustration, anxiety, tension, insecurity, problems arising from cooperation with other people.

II. The ladder of stress – 20 min.

1. The next step is self-reflection (5-10 min.). Give each participant a piece of paper. Ask them to create their own stress ladder. Their task is to draw a ladder with 10 rungs. On each rung they should write down one situation that causes stress or anxiety (where the first rung at the bottom means the least stressful situation and the tenth at the top means the most stressful).
2. Then ask the participants to get into pairs. In pairs, the participants exchange their papers and the next person tries to generate ideas on how to deal with the difficulties. Participants can write down solutions next to the problems indicated on the ladder or on the back of the sheet. Then they present the solutions to one another (10 min).
3. At the end, all participants return to group work (5-10 min.). The facilitator asks a volunteer or two to present their stress ladder and the solutions suggested by their partner. After that, the group tries to create a joint list of possible methods to cope with activists’ stress and anxiety.
   Examples of methods:
• Setting clear boundaries
• Balancing activism with personal life
• Avoiding unrealistic expectations
• Prioritising self-care
• Stress reduction techniques such as relaxation
• Physical exercise
• Taking regular breaks and holidays
• Delegating tasks
• Dividing tasks into smaller parts
• Ensuring open communication, teamwork and shared responsibility to reduce pressure on individuals
• Regularly reviewing personal and professional goals
• Providing professional support (counselling, therapy, coaching) if necessary

III. Conclusion – 5 min.

1. Summarise the key takeaways from this activity, emphasising the importance of self-care in sustaining long-term activism.
2. Encourage participants to actively incorporate self-care into their activism and daily routines to maintain their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

1. Prepare a tree template (you can draw a tree on the board or on a large sheet of paper).
2. Distribute three sticky notes to each participant. On one of them, participants are to write which competences they used and developed during the workshop, e.g. innovation, entrepreneurship, communication. On the second one, they should describe the impressions and emotions they experienced and on the third one - the results they achieved, e.g. the project idea, methods to unwind.
3. The notes with the descriptions of the competences are to be stuck to the trunk of the tree, the impressions and emotions - to the branches and the notes with the results as leaves.
4. Finally, you can read out the conclusions written on the sticky notes and/or ask participants to share their thoughts.