At the core of EcoHub’s activities is the Re.Action program, repeating annually. This program is composed of several stages which empower its participants:
- to learn about democracy, active citizenship and sustainable development;
- to develop project management skills;
- to implement their own projects and thus contribute to the development of their communities.
Re.Action’s methodology was born in collaboration with the international Theodor Heuss Kolleg (THK) network and is supported by local volunteers, mentors, and facilitators, all of whom are alumni of the program. Activities include four main steps throughout the year:
- Idea for change: An 8-day introductory seminar, where participants are exposed to concepts of sustainable development (ecological, economic, ecological and social) and active citizenship (principles of democracy and human rights). By the end of the seminar they are supported to develop a volunteer project idea for social change in their community.
- Project management: A 6-day seminar focusing on concrete project management skills participants will need for project implementation and independent work, such as: activity and budget planning; resource raising (funds, volunteers, business contributions); time management; public relations and presentation skills, etc. Participants include elements of sustainable development practices in their project concept, and are encouraged to investigate cross-sector collaborations that can make their projects stronger, particularly in regard to relationships with local governments and communities. Projects begin to take shape – teams, concepts, and ideas for implementation become more concrete and realistic; participants develop planning documents and clarify all project steps. The projects are supported with very small financial grants furnished by EcoHub, but participants are encouraged to find ways to implement their projects with very little financial resources, to prove that money is no limitation to power or action.
- Independent Learning and Project Implementation: During a 3-month period, participants implement the projects in their communities, with support of community members and local businesses and institutions. Project teams are supported by EcoHub’s trained peer mentors, who are alumni from previous years of the program who have gone through the learning process themselves. This mentoring process is based on an individual mix of counseling and coaching, and supports self-directed learning.
- Reflection and Evaluation: Here, at a 5-day reflection forum, the participants are guided to reflect on their learning process, to make visible how their theoretical knowledge and practical project implementation come together to develop their capacities and change their perspectives. Reflection makes a participant’s success story visible beyond the project’s results or outcomes. It is important to help participants realize that a successful project is not the only indicator of a successful learning process; that development can also arise from so-called failures. An important component of the reflection forum is the public presentation of the community projects: at this event, stakeholders from civil society, the international community, the local business community and public officials are invited to be inspired by participants’ impact in their communities and engage in exchange with participants for future collaboration.
To capitalize on the strong community that participants have built throughout their learning process, program graduates join the growing EcoHub alumni network. Through this network, alumni have an opportunity to stay active in supporting the next generation of participants by becoming trained mentors or facilitators. They also are able to seek support to travel abroad for further self-development opportunities in the form of training and internships, and are encouraged to continue their projects.
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