Nature can become a real learning space when young people are invited to take part in it directly. This was the idea behind Protected Areas: A Playground for the Inclusion of Young People, a Youth Exchange held in Roseto degli Abruzzi, on the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo, from 16 to 25 September 2025.

The project was realised by ARCI Chieti and the Istituto Abruzzese per le Aree Protette, in cooperation with the local association Guide del Borsacchio. It was granted by the European Union and the Agenzia Italiana per la Gioventù within the Erasmus+ Programme. The international partnership involved ARCI Circolo Territoriale Chieti from Italy, Estestvoizpitateli from Bulgaria, Xeracion Valencia from Spain, Environmental Education Center Dropie from the Slovak Republic, Aventura Marão Clube from Portugal and ForestEducon from Serbia.

The Youth Exchange took place within the Borsacchio Regional Nature Reserve, a protected coastal area marked by dunes, green cliffs, wetlands, agricultural land and Mediterranean vegetation. Its landscape became the main working environment for 37 young participants from Italy, Serbia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Spain. The exchange was part of a long-term educational process developed over several years to connect young people with protected areas, sustainable development and local communities.

The main aim of the project was to involve young people directly in the life and management of a protected area. Participants explored how natural spaces can support active citizenship, social inclusion, environmental awareness and community development. Through non-formal education methods, they learned by observing, doing, discussing and working together in direct contact with the territory.

During the first days, the group was guided by Guide del Borsacchio through practical maintenance activities that helped participants discover the reserve and understand its needs. In the following days, they worked in three practical workshops: Environmental Education, Promotional and Documentary Video, and Infrastructure Maintenance. These workshops allowed participants to develop new skills while producing useful results for the local area.

The project also included a public sharing moment in Roseto degli Abruzzi, with the participation of the Mayor, the volunteers and educators of Guide del Borsacchio, representatives of the Istituto Abruzzese per le Aree Protette, local associations, citizens and young people from the area. This moment gave participants the chance to present their learning process and discuss how the knowledge gained could be used in other local and international contexts.

The final publication collects the outcomes of the workshops, including educational modules, communication materials and infrastructural artefacts created to support the reserve and improve the work of the partner organisations in their own communities. It shows how protected areas can become places of learning, cooperation and participation, where young people do not simply visit nature, but actively contribute to its care.

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