”What inspires you the most right now?”
The Young Planet Caregivers' kick-off meeting began with mingling and speed dating and a pleasant buzz of conversation. At the beginning of the meeting, not only the young people participated, but also some of their supervisors and two representatives from the Upplandsbygd board. The purpose of the weekend was to get to know each other, be inspired and learn about project planning. The idea was that the meeting would help create a supportive social context - the young project leaders do not do this themselves but can exchange ideas with each other during the summer. In addition, they are part of the Upplandsbygd network with over 400 participants in different parts of our area.
”"I hope that Young Planet Caregivers will contribute to increased hope for the future among young people and that all the young project leaders will feel strengthened by this experience," says My Sellberg, project leader.
Participants also got to listen to Sanna Szakal, an inspiration and sustainability developer, who talked about her journey as a project manager for a wetland restoration project outside Enköping within the Field Biologists' Important Waters. Sanna generously shared her most important lessons learned during the project – both about wetland restoration and project management. Talking to many people about what you are doing and what you need, as help can come from unexpected sources, is a useful tip for all project managers, regardless of their field. One of the participants was inspired by the opportunity to learn a lot during the project.
By the end of the meeting, the participants had gotten to know each other better and had drafted their project plans. Everyone had had time to be specific about what activities they would include in their projects and what the budget would look like. There is also a chat group for the participants that allows for spontaneous exchanges during the summer.
”I am so looking forward to following the projects and seeing what they are doing this summer,” says Hanna Koivukangas, Young Planet Caretaker’s communications officer. Hanna is, among other things, the driving force behind the project’s Instagram account.
Read more here about Young Planet Caretaker.