By the Adriatic coastline of Abruzzo (Italy), young people from seven countries gathered in Roseto degli Abruzzi to discover how a small coastal reserve can become a space for learning, participation and shared responsibility. This Youth Exchange was part of the wider Erasmus+ process “Protected Areas: A Playground for the Inclusion of Young People”, which links nature conservation, youth work and community development across several countries.

The activity took place next to the Borsacchio Regional Nature Reserve, an area where sand dunes, wetlands, agricultural land and Mediterranean scrub still coexist, despite a long history of boundary changes that has reduced the protected surface. The group, made up of 37 participants from Italy, Albania, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Slovak Republic, explored how this fragile landscape can be protected and valued with the direct involvement of young people.

The first days were dedicated to practical work in the reserve, guided by the volunteers of the association Guide del Borsacchio. Through maintenance tasks and manual beach cleaning, participants learned to read the territory, discovered characteristic species such as the sea lily, helichrysum and the Kentish plover, and understood how small daily actions can support biodiversity and coastal ecosystems.

The second part of the exchange focused on three environmental workshops: an Environmental Educational Path, Tutorials and Communication, and the Visual Identity of the Nature Reserve. Each group designed tools and activities that can be used locally to involve schools, families and citizens, from playful exercises along a nature trail to simple communication formats that tell the story and value of the reserve in an accessible way.

The results were presented in Roseto during a public event attended by local authorities, educators, associations and citizens. The Youth Exchange strengthened connections between young people and the Borsacchio Reserve and offered new ideas for using protected areas as spaces for inclusion, learning and active citizenship. You can download the full project result to explore the complete stories, methods and materials created during the exchange.

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