Co-creation in water and environmental projects is near the heart of the EJWP mission. Our participants work together – often for the first time in multinational teams – on objectives in projects put forward by EJWP partner organizations. Communication across diverse groups, leadership, organizational skills and collaborative planning are all part of a training experience will very real implications for the European water sector.
On 14 June in Brussels, EJWP Groups 2 and 3 will present their projects to public audiences. This kind of exposure can provide opportunities for our participants to not only develop their presentation and networking skills, but to also explore connections with sector peers who are working on similar issues.
Wetlands protection
The EJWP3 project with Natuurpunt is supporting a citizen science campaign aimed at wetland preservation, which is part of the wetlands4cities project in cooperation with the curieuzeneuzen organization. This is a project to measure heat and drought at gardens and at nature reserves in Flanders. EJWP is surveying the effect of hot and dry periods on the wetlands, compared with the city gardens of Mechelen, Belgium. In March, EJWP3 participants placed sensors to gather related data in the Mechels Broek nature reserve of Flanders, a 100 hectare habitat owned and managed by Natuurpunt. “Our group has a connection now to the Mechels Broek, after spending time placing the sensors around it. We look forward to presenting our project in Brussels, and to learning about similar natural areas so that we can have more examples to compare,”said EJWP3 Participant Lander Wantens, a Project Manager with Natuurpunt.
Aquatic ecosystems
The EJWP2 project with ACTeon Environment focuses on contaminants of emerging concern and anti-microbial resistance in aquatic ecosystems. This AquaticPollutantsTransNet project (APTN) is part of a larger European effort to strengthen European research on healthy aquatic ecosystems. EJWP2 participants trained on interview techniques last March in France with ACTeon, and have been compiling target information through interviewing stakeholders, including policy makers and academics, on needs of knowledge transfer to achieve broader objectives of the European initiative. This is based in the identified need that research results produced and funded at the EU level are often under-used, and policy makers often lack access the latest knowledge to support their work.
You’re invited to join physically in Brussels or online. Register at info@juniorwaterprogramme.eu for detailed information.
To learn more about EJWP projects and their impact, or to become involved as a young professional or water/environmental organization, contact: info@juniorwaterprogramme.eu