Reconnecting with nature
Guardiões da Areia/Guardians of the Sand
Guardiões da Areia/Guardians of the Sand – leaders in the environmental defence of Praia da Tocha
Guardians of the Sand is a project to empower children as young leaders in environmental defence and was held at Praia da Tocha (Cantanhede, Portugal), a local beach that located in a Natura 2000 Network site known by its dune biodiversity and excellent waves. The activities were designed by the young leaders and involved all sectors of the local and visiting communities, allowing them to reconnect with nature and stimulating the importance of nature protection and environmental sustainability.
Portugal
Local
Praia da Tocha
Tocha
Cantanhede
Tocha
Cantanhede
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
2024-08-31
No
No
No
As a representative of an organisation, in partnership with other organisations
The Guardians of the Sand project was promoted by the Forestry and Natural Resources Management Division of the Municipality of Cantanhede, within the scope of the 2024 theme promoted by the Blue Flag programme "The Sea Needs Leaders! Your beach is your cause!". This project aimed to promote the environmental sustainability of Praia da Tocha (Cantanhede, Portugal), by training young students from the municipality to design and develop activities to protect the environment. It should be noted that this beach is located in a Natura 2000 Network site of community importance (PTCON0055). The objectives were to raise awareness among young people about the importance of conserving dune and aquatic biodiversity; to train young people chosen (or elected) from the various schools in the municipality to be leaders on the beach defence; to promote conferences for young leaders, and to safeguard aquatic and dune biodiversity and/or raise awareness about beach cleanliness (marine litter). The project and activities arising from this challenge were conceived and carried out by this group of young students, having the general population as the target audience (aiming to involve all population groups without any restrictions). At the end of the project, the activities designed and developed contributed to the recovery of the dune ecosystem and its biodiversity, allowing also transmitting to the population the importance of protecting and conserving biodiversity, demonstrating a change in the community perspective in relation to nature.
youth capacity building
biodiversity safeguard
raise nature awareness
beach cleaning
change perspectives
One of the key objectives of this project is related to the safeguard of aquatic and dune biodiversity, and raising awareness for beach cleanliness (marine litter). The activities designed for this context included, among others, the control of invasive exotic flora species in the dunes (namely Carpobrotus edulis and Acacia longiofolia), thus safeguarding and contributing to the prevention of the loss of the important and characteristic floral biodiversity of this ecosystem.
At the same time, a marine litter collection campaign was carried out along the entire sandbank and dune system aligned with Praia da Tocha, with over 50 kg of various materials (plastics, metals, among others) being collected. Part of this material was taken for recycling, while another part was used to create a workshop on works of art using marine litter, with the resulting works being exhibited at the CIAX museum (Praia da Tocha) and the best ones receiving awards. Worn beach towels were also transformed into beach bags, promoting circularity and a reflection on the life cycle of the collected material, stimulating the concept of sustainability among the general population that joined and participated in the activities, and also those who had access to the outputs (social media posts and press) of this project. The fact that young citizens themselves were allowed to promote and carry out these activities, with supervision and monitoring by the Municipality, is a differentiating element of this project, which is also an aggregator towards the participation of the local community.
At the same time, a marine litter collection campaign was carried out along the entire sandbank and dune system aligned with Praia da Tocha, with over 50 kg of various materials (plastics, metals, among others) being collected. Part of this material was taken for recycling, while another part was used to create a workshop on works of art using marine litter, with the resulting works being exhibited at the CIAX museum (Praia da Tocha) and the best ones receiving awards. Worn beach towels were also transformed into beach bags, promoting circularity and a reflection on the life cycle of the collected material, stimulating the concept of sustainability among the general population that joined and participated in the activities, and also those who had access to the outputs (social media posts and press) of this project. The fact that young citizens themselves were allowed to promote and carry out these activities, with supervision and monitoring by the Municipality, is a differentiating element of this project, which is also an aggregator towards the participation of the local community.
The main aim of the Guardians of the Sand project was to engage and empower the community to act in a sustainable way now and in the future, ensuring the preservation of the dune ecosystem of Praia da Tocha for future generations. In this sense, the training of students of the schools from the municipality of Cantanhede (that will be our future generations and that are residents or regular visitors of this beach) as leaders in the themes of sustainability and environmental preservation, allowed them to develop activities that involved local communities and the non-resident population (holidaymakers), promoting a sense of belonging, whilst promoting cultural and environmental values among this target audience. There was considerable participation from both the resident and non-resident population in all the activities, promoting a connection to the importance of the dune ecosystem and the qualities of the beach, through the collection of marine litter and the control of invasive alien species. At the same time, biodiversity informative posters were also created regarding some of the most important species of native dune flora in these locations, and signs identifying each of these species were also placed along the walkways in the dunes. The feeling of belonging to this beach was stimulated, with significant interest being shown in the continuity of this project, with a second edition planned for 2025.
Young people are often excluded from decision-making and action processes regarding environmental protection or climate change impact. In this areas, the school curriculum is mainly based on climate literacy, focusing more on the transmission of problems than on participation in a process based on actions to ensure solutions. Our project considered that young people should be included as active actors in this process, empowering young people selected from the Municipality's schools, through training actions on environment and leadership, carried out and coordinated by the Municipality of Cantanhede. Following the achievement of this objective, conferences for young leaders were held and students discussed among themselves the activities to be carried out. The activities designed and carried out by these young leaders allowed them to get closer to decision-making power and to be included in this choice. Among the activities, it is important in this context to highlight the transformation of worn-out beach towels into beach bags. Here, the young people decided to contact several social institutions in the municipality that are responsible for nursing homes. And it was the elderly people from these homes who processed the towels, thus promoting a generational exchange and increasing social interaction with a segment of the population that does not normally participate in these type of activities. The beach bags were sold in the beach during the other activities and all the profit was redistributed back to each nursing home. In addition, all the other activities carried out within the project scope took into account the participation of people with reduced mobility, as well as with some kind of visual or hearing impairment. In fact, all the activities were carried out with the participation of citizens aged 4 to 90, with or without mobility limitations, regardless of their social status. The success was noteworthy.
This project was divided in 2 main stages. The first stage was allowing the youth population of the municipality to actively participate in a project where they were the ones to think and develop all the activities, under the surveillance and monitoring of agents from the municipality and teachers. All schools where invited to select students that had a “leadership” profile; here, all 3 school groups of Cantanhede municipality (Agrupamento Escola (AE) Lima-de-Faria, AE Marquês-de-Marialva, AE Gândara-Mar) and the professional school of Cantanhede (Escola Técnico Profissional de Cantanhede) accepted the challenge and selected a total of 28 students (from 8th to 12 grade). The Municipality of Cantanhede promoted training and capacity-building actions to provide pre-selected young people with leadership, mobilization and motivation skills, in order to bring them closer to local decision-making power. These young people were enabled to be active leaders in the environmental defence of Praia da Tocha, proposing actions that integrated active participation of the population and that can be transformed into real projects if they are financially feasible. In order for the students to define the activities, two leaders' conferences were held to present and discuss ideas and define a joint final project. Following these conferences the last stage was carried out, where all the activities took place. These activities also contemplated the active participation of older citizens that live in elderly nursing homes, by transforming worn out beach towels into beach bags. In the summer of 2024, all the other activities took place in Praia da Tocha, where the local and visiting population actively participated. One of the main pillars of the project was achieved with all participants, by stimulating environmental awareness and nature (biodiversity) restoration.
For this project, the main stakeholders were the schools that operate within the municipality of Cantanhede, where the young leaders studied. So, all 3 school groups of Cantanhede municipality (AE Lima-de-Faria, AE Marquês-de-Marialva, AE Gândara-Mar) and the professional school of Cantanhede (Escola Técnico Profissional de Cantanhede) were invited and accepted the challenge. There was at least 1 professor from each schools that accompanied the students in both stages (training/capacity-building actions and the activities developed by the students). Since this project was developed within the scope of the 2024 theme promoted by the Blue Flag programme, ABAAE (Associação Bandeira Azul de Ambiente e Educação) was a partner, even though their active participation was limited to communicating the activities that took place in Praia da Tocha. Other strategic stakeholders were the elderly nursing homes (Centro Social Comunitário da Varziela; Centro Social e Polivalente de Outentã; Centro Social e Polivalente da Freguesia de Murtede; and Associação de Desenvolvimento Progresso e Vida da Tocha), that transformed the beach towels into bags. INOVA-EM took care of the recycling of marine litter. The local pharmacies (Oliveira Ribeiro and Elísio Andrade) offered sunscreen and hats for all participants. As a prize to the best art made from marine litter, a bodyboard lesson was offered by Associação Bodyboard Palheiros da Tocha. The Tocha Parish offered rooms for the training actions, and the Praia da Tocha Residents Association was important to announce the activities. Also, Cooperativa Agrícola da Tocha offered water to all participants and also a lunch for everyone in the final activity. A local artist was responsible for the marine litter art workshop. All these were local stakeholders. It is also important to refer that this project was recognised nationally by receiving the 3rd prize of the “Concurso Amar a Praia 2024”, promoted by the Blue Flag programme.
The core of this project was developed by the Forestry and Natural Resources Management Division of the Municipality of Cantanhede. This division has been promoting several projects, actions and activities towards nature conservancy and restoration, as well as towards invasive alien species control, environmental sustainability and climate change awareness. In this project, the division team took into account the 2024 theme of the Blue Flag programme (The Sea Needs Leaders! Your beach is your cause!) and also the 2021 UNICEF report “The climate crisis is a child rights crisis” that presents the Children’s Climate Risk Index. Here, knowing that the “just causes” are the ones that mobilize people the most, the division launched a challenge to the municipality schools to take a more active role in defending the local beaches, by actively promote community participation activities to try to solve a global problem, but at a local level. The project aimed to be an environmental education activity involving young people of the Municipality as promoters and leaders of activities that would be carried out in Praia da Tocha, allowing them to be closer to the decision-making entities. It promoted citizenship and empowerment of young people, capacitating them as leaders in environmental defence. It involved trainings on various areas of knowledge (ecology, biodiversity, sustainability, leadership, project development and assessment, and governance), as well as on the link of these activities with the local communities. All the activities designed by the young leaders (and supervised by teachers and the division) were carried out taking into account environmental goals and the Agenda 2030 SDG (4, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17). Also, the activities contemplated the possibility of ay people to participate, despite mobility or health restrictions, as well as promoted active aging (partnership with nursing homes) and also a partnership with cultural sector (marine litter art workshop).
The most innovative character of this project was the fact that local students, under the supervision and monitoring of the responsible parties, designed all the activities. All the project design comprised several steps, from the training and empowerment of the young leaders, activities design taking into account community participation (including stakeholders such as private enterprises, local artists, local associations and public companies) and, of course, reaching the main goals (reconnect with nature, biodiversity protection, and promoting sustainability/circular economy). The fact that the students were from different grades and different schools/villages presented as a challenge, but the training and empowerment sessions allowed them to interact towards the common goal. This was an excellent challenge that will be held again in 2025.
The project was developed by the Forestry and Natural Resources Management Division of the Municipality of Cantanhede, under the scope of the 2024 theme promoted by the Blue Flag programme "The Sea Needs Leaders! Your beach is your cause!". Here, the division intended to allow young leaders to design the activities. So, the municipality schools were challenged to select young students with leadership profile (by election or chosen directly by peers/teachers). All schools responded positively and a total of 28 students were selected from all schools. From February until July, the first stage of the project took place, by i) promoting 2 training/information actions for young people, in schools and in conjunction with partners (Tocha Parish), that included training to lead (how to be inclusive and autonomous leaders), training to train (providing “tools” to young people on the subject, namely on dune biodiversity and morphology, beach cleaning, control of invasive alien species, creation of specific recycling points and management of materials), and on the promotion of socially inclusive projects for elderly, disabled, reduced mobility; and by ii) holding conferences for young leaders to present and discuss ideas for awareness-raising projects and population participation to be carried out, where the activities to be held where discussed and chosen. The activities of the project were implemented in July and August, whilst being promoted through the Municipality's social media and a specific Instagram account (Guardiões da Areia 2024).
The project was designed to be easily replicable either locally, regionally, nationally and globally. By training and empowering students as environmental defence leaders (in partnership with local schools and school programs), they can gain several valences in domains that are not usually learnt in schools. It was expected that these project would increase their sense of community and its link with nature. Allowing the young leaders to design the specific activities to involve community participation was very gratifying, as they even involved the people from nursing homes in this process. This project can be replicable, even for other ecosystems, as the strategic point is to empower the young children and give them the tools to design activities to reconnect, protect and restore nature (or even on other subjects). It is important to maintain surveillance and monitoring of all the process (by teachers and promoters), which can be fairly “easy” to endure, as the young leaders were/can be selected by the schools that work with them daily and know their schools. This way, we are empowering the future citizens and potential leaders of our communities.
As described above, all the activities were carried out taking into account global challenges such as biodiversity loss, coastal marine litter accumulation, impact of climate change, and promoting sustainability / circular economy. All the activities were also designed taking into account the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – SDG (4, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17). Local stakeholders were actively involved in these activities, allowing them to better understand the global challenges at a regional level. In fact, by the end of the 2024 project, one can state that the young leaders were also able to promote some empowerment of the local and visiting communities, in terms of nature conservancy.
The main results were:
- Empowerment of young leaders (and future decision-makers);
- Reconnect local communities with nature, allowing them to differentiate native floral dune species from invasive alien floral species (and how to control the invasive);
- Stimulate the marine litter recollection and understand what can be recycled and what can be reused;
- Aggregate different stakeholders on a local (yet global) challenge: protect the environment and reconnect with nature.
Local and visiting population directly beneficiated (and will beneficiate) from these outputs.
- Empowerment of young leaders (and future decision-makers);
- Reconnect local communities with nature, allowing them to differentiate native floral dune species from invasive alien floral species (and how to control the invasive);
- Stimulate the marine litter recollection and understand what can be recycled and what can be reused;
- Aggregate different stakeholders on a local (yet global) challenge: protect the environment and reconnect with nature.
Local and visiting population directly beneficiated (and will beneficiate) from these outputs.
