Youth Academy

The efforts of the countries of the European Union in terms of environmental protection and ensuring a high quality of life for their citizens have sound traditions in recent decades. This policy has accelerated since the end of 2019, when the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the so-called European Green Deal – a set of initiatives, programs, strategies (including a package of legislative acts) that aim to improve the well-being and health of citizens and future generations. The European Green Deal is aimed at ensuring: clean air, clean water, healthy soil and biodiversity, renovated, energy-efficient buildings, healthy and affordable food, more public transport, cleaner energy and cutting-edge clean technology innovation, longer-lasting products that can be renovated, recycled and reused, as well as a globally competitive and sustainable industry, provided by the green transition of the European Union. This means that the “Green Deal” ensures effective policies throughout the entire process-chain – from research, through innovation and their implementation not just in the different sectors of the economy, but also as a change of lifestyle but communities. Among the leading focuses of planned Academy for Young Green Policy Leaders is air pollution as a current problem for Plovdiv and the region – primarily as an ecological threat, but also as leading risk factor for public health, associated with significant economic and social costs for communities. The control over the quality of atmospheric air is a top priority in the policies of the European Union, which are also approved at the national level by the member countries. Public institutions of the state and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, citizens and entrepreneurs are engaged in the processes of establishing sustainable environmental management systems and raising the quality of life of the citizens of the Union. The Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at “Paisii Hilendarski” University of Plovdiv supports these efforts by organizing the above Academy. The initiative is aimed at raising the capacity of young people from the city of Plovdiv and the region to understand and manage issues and strategies related to policies and technologies for air cleanliness control. Why young people? Young people have a generational and socially constructed predisposition to be more sensitive to climate challenges and environmental protection. At the same time, they have little knowledge of current EU policies, scientific research, entrepreneurial initiatives and technological innovations, civic activities and opportunities for funding ideas and projects in the field. The lack also the very context the European Green Deal was designed and introduced, and have little awareness that it was a part of larger efforts for industrial and policy restructuring aiming at what some researches called “Deep Transition” of modern economies and societies. Why an “Academy”? The “Academy” involves researchers from the “Jean Monnet Center of Excellence” at Plovdiv University, scholars, experts and entrepreneurs, citizens and municipal officials. They will contribute to increasing the level of familiarity with the topic and raising the potential and capacity of young people in solving problems and tasks dedicated to air quality control policies through lectures and interactive games.