Building Resilience in Cities: How PFE's Urban Labs are Engaging the Youth in Overcoming Climate Change

In the current setting of rapid urbanization, cities are at the very forefront of the impact of climate change.  PFE is responding to that challenge through its Urban Labs, within the EYES Project, by equipping youths and youth workers-most of them from disadvantaged neighborhoods-with real-life solution development. The youth feel concerned not only about the issue of climate change but are especially struck by the immediate impact it has on their living in reference to their communities. These should encompass different backgrounds, allowing each to bring a different point of view.

What are Urban Labs?

Urban Laboratories are spaces of collaboration whose concept brings together a number of stakeholders to develop solutions for challenges in the urban area: citizens, local authorities, researchers, and businesses. What initially gives PFE's Urban Labs their distinctive features is the priority given to youth participation, with a particular focus on young people from the most disadvantaged communities. The young participants, along with the youth workers, confront the pressing challenges of how climate change affects their daily lives-everything from concerns about housing and jobs to the immediate surroundings of an urban environment.

The PFE's Urban Lab

Urban Labs are part of the EYES for Climate project, cofunded by the Erasmus plus program with a particular focus on the development of youth contribution to climate action. Young people and youth workers from diverse cultural backgrounds took center stage in a series of workshops on designing Urban Labs, learning to create labs tailored to the needs of their local communities.

Workshop 1: Laying the Foundations - 13th September 2024

First and foremost, it was a foundational workshop because the concept of the Urban Lab was introduced to the youngsters and youth workers. By using tools like Mentimeter, the participants coming from different walks of life were able to share which climatic challenges cities are facing either themselves or their communities.

Results from these challenges were subsequently used to organizeteams tasked with designing an Urban Lab. Most of the youth workers had pointed out apprehensions about how climate change affects the vulnerable young people they work with, mainly in the less privileged areas. Their lack of resources means that they may not be equipped to participate or cope with the changes. Thevarious proposals summarized were focused on engaging the community via public awareness campaigns and collective actions with the local authorities.

Workshop 2: Refining the Solutions (20th September 2024)

The ideas were further developed in this second workshop by these young people and the youth workers into data-driven solutions that could be small-scale tested. Among the projects were:.

These projects are only some examples developed during the Urban Labs and reflect two needs: one developed for practical needs within the local context and another related to long-term involvement in community life.

Why Youth and Youth Workers Matter

The PFE's Urban Labs are focused on giving a voice to diverse and less privileged youth. Most of those youths, from various socio-economic backgrounds, bear an urgent perspective on the climate debate. It is through their everyday struggles that they come to be more sensitive to how environmental changes are yet another scale that weighs more strongly on their shoulders. PFE's Urban Labs have provided a comfortable space for these youth to reflect on their plight and can take action proposing climate solutions.

Moreover, the participation of youth workers means that the labs are oriented to address not only environmental but also broader social issues facing the community: unemployment, precariousness in housing, etc.

By integrating climate action with community well-being, the methodology of Urban Labs will contribute to the creation of more resilient, sustainable, and equitable urban environments.Looking Ahead

With the increasing climate crisis, such innovations as PFE's Urban Labs become a replicable, community-led approach to building urban resilience. For the future, PFE plans to scale the reach of the labs, thus offering even more opportunities for young people to lead and participate in solution creation that will have direct impacts on their communities.

Take Action:

Are you invigorated by the work of PFE's Urban Labs?

Join future workshops to learn more about how to engage in climate action and make a difference in your community.

Visit EYES Project website.  

Moreover, you can connect with like-minded individuals from all over Europe and beyond! through the Smile.eu . that is a platform Gain access to valuable resources on what it means to be a Europroject manager, explore the results of past projects, and discover plenty of useful documentation to help you write your own projects or create youth organizations.  Members can easily connect via email through the platform, fostering collaboration and networking!