The MAKE USE youth group from Larissa, Greece, is showing how young people can actively shape their local environment. Coordinated by our partner organisation Synergy of Music Theatre (SMouTh), the group has carried out an impressive series of creative and educational initiatives this year. Their projects combine artistic expression, environmental awareness and community engagement.
A special highlight is the MAKE USE Kits method, which the group developed. The idea is simple but effective: instead of just getting annoyed about a problem, the young people develop sets with concrete, tangible tools to solve it and motivate others to join in.
MAKE USE Kits for Athens
Over the past few years, the group has already used its method in cooperation with many school classes in the region. Because good projects deserve to be shared, a team recently travelled to the capital Athens, some 300 kilometres away, to run a MAKE USE workshop at a local school. Together with the pupils, they identified litter as a key problem in public spaces. They then worked together to create kits that the young people now want to use to keep parks and beaches clean. The workshop, led by former youth leader Vangelis Pappas, Ambassador Vasiliki Tsaknaki and Georgia Kolyra, is a powerful example of how a locally developed idea from the Generation Europe – The Academy network can grow and have an impact far beyond its own city.
Art with unaccompanied minor refugees
Art connects – the local group put this motto into practice in another project: they organised a painting workshop in collaboration with unaccompanied minor refugees at the KEAN Shelter for Unaccompanied Migrant Children.
This was another great example of the synergy within Generation Europe – The Academy: Led by Savvina Zikou, youth leader at Kids in Action, our second Greek partner organisation in the network, a mural was created that now decorates the centre’s walls and stands as a symbol of solidarity and cooperation.
Making Connections, Experiencing Nature
To strengthen their group bond and create new learning experiences, the young people also organised two educational trips in the region. One trip took them to Pelion to the Anetopoulos Ceramic Museum and the Nesson Ecovillage, where they learnt about the principles of the circular economy and permaculture.
Another tour to Mount Olympus included a group hike through the Enipeas gorge. This not only deepened their connection with nature, but also provided a space to meet new people and exchange ideas about shared values like environmental protection and respect.
New focus: Self-care and community care
The group is currently focusing on the topic of “Youth Self-care and Community Care”. In an initial photo workshop, they explored what self-care means to young people today and how it can be expressed. The group plans to explore this important topic further and to bring it to youth communities.
With their diverse activities, MAKE USE is building on previous projects, such as exploring Larissa’s graffiti culture or an event on local cultural heritage. The group is a powerful example of how local engagement within a European network like Generation Europe – The Academy empowers young people to initiate positive change in their immediate surroundings and beyond.
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