Conservation Youth

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nature Conservation
Youth (NAJU)
founding 1983
Seat Karlplatz 7, 10117 Berlin
main emphasis Environmental and nature protection, environmental education
Members 80,000 (2015)
Website www.naju.de

The Nature Conservation Youth (NAJU) is the independent children and youth association of the German nature conservation organization Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) and, in Bavaria , the State Association for Bird Protection in Bavaria (LBV - the Bavarian partner organization of NABU). With over 80,000 members, the NAJU is one of the largest youth environmental associations in Germany.

history

Since the 1970s there have been efforts by young members of the NABU - at that time still the German Association for Bird Protection (DBV) - to organize an independent youth organization at the federal level. The first DBV Federal Youth Congress took place at the end of 1982, at which the delegates, including Jochen Flasbarth and Markus Rösler , spoke out in favor of a corresponding proposal at the DBV Federal Representative Assembly. In 1983 the young people in the DBV succeeded in enforcing their own statutes for the youth organization at the DBV conference in Münster. Jochen Flasbarth became the first chairman of the youth association.

In 1984 the DBV youth started the environmental competition “Experienced Spring”, which to this day encourages children to explore the annually changing signs of spring and their habitats.

In 1987 the DBV-Jugend began working with the youth of the Bavarian State Association for Bird Protection (LBV). In the course of this, the youth organization gave itself the name Naturschutzjugend, NAJU for short, in order to do justice to the thematic opening beyond bird protection. After reunification, the adult association DBV also renamed itself to Naturschutzbund Deutschland eV (NABU).

From 1990 the NAJU established regional associations in the new federal states. During this time, a federal office of the NAJU was established. This was first based in Stuttgart, later in Bonn, and moved to Berlin in 2007 together with the NABU federal office.

Organization and activity

The nature conservation youth is decentralized and democratically organized according to their own statements. In around 700 children's groups and 300 youth groups across Germany, young people are active on site for nature.

The NAJU regional associations offer numerous weekend and holiday camps at home and abroad and organize seminars e.g. B. for prospective group leaders. The participants get to know new habitats, cultures and other committed people and take part in nature conservation activities. The work is coordinated at the annual federal delegates' meeting.

NAJU is a member of the German Federal Youth Association (DBJR), the Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare (AGJ) and the Information and Documentation Center for Anti-Racism Work (IDA).

Cooperation with other youth associations is also central. For example, NAJU is part of Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), an amalgamation of over 50 associations in the youth environment sector. NAJU is also involved in the Youth Alliance for Future Energy (JBZE), a network of youth organizations and individuals whose goal is a one hundred percent energy supply through renewable energies, in the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (gybn) and in the National Coalition Germany , a network for the implementation of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A major focus in the activities of the NAJU is environmental education . Many NAJU offers are official projects of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Biodiversity, including “A Stork on a Journey” and “Focus on Biodiversity - From Experience of Nature to Political Education”.

Projects for children

"Experienced Spring"

Every year since 1984 NAJU has invited to the children's competition “Spring Experience”. Using the example of native species, children discover biological diversity on their doorstep. Every year, the focus is on four different animal and plant species. They are selected according to ecological, social and cultural aspects. The German UNESCO Commission has awarded the NAJU children's competition “Spring Experience” as a project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

NAJUversum

On the NAJUversum website, children can find understandable information about animals, plants and their environment, as well as numerous ideas for handicrafts and experiments. In addition, a free print magazine for children appears annually under the name “NAJUversum”. It contains reports, puzzles, action and handicraft ideas to match the title topic (e.g. garbage, storks, seas).

A stork on the move

"A stork on the road" is an environmental educational game for groups of children. At 24 stations, children between the ages of ten and twelve learn in small groups about the different routes of the storks and the particularities of the countries overflown. The game can be borrowed from 30 stations nationwide.

"School lesson for garden birds" and "School lesson for winter birds"

The "Hour of the Garden Birds" and "Hour of the Winter Birds" are nationwide hands-on activities by NAJU and NABU on ornithology. The aim is to increase knowledge of the local bird world and to obtain the most accurate possible picture of the bird world in Germany's cities and villages. In addition to both activities, the NAJU has developed the “Garden Birds School Lesson” and “Winter Birds School Lessons” for children: Through games, experiments and action ideas, children get to know native birds and their habitat.

Projects for young people

Trashbusters H 2 O

The focus of the “Trashbusters” project and the follow-up project “Trashbusters H 2 O” are annual action weeks, during which young people across Germany draw attention to the garbage problem and become active themselves with clean-up activities. The campaign weeks are accompanied by a competition that rewards particularly creative and high-profile activities. In addition, educational materials on water protection and plastic waste are created.

Focus on biological diversity

With the help of ten types of ambassadors, children and young people learn about biological diversity on their doorstep. The focus is on the peculiarities of the ten species as well as the points of contact with everyday human life and the ecological, economic and social context in which the species move. Free school and group material was created in the project and can be ordered from NAJU.

Great climate - caught hot and cold

In the cooperation project of NAJU, BUNDjugend and Naturfreundejugend, schoolchildren try out a climate-friendly lifestyle. Volunteers from the three youth environmental associations go to schools and develop ideas with students on how they can actually change their behavior in order to protect the climate.

The magazine accompanying the project bundles field reports from schools and suggestions for further climate protection activities. Participating young people can exchange ideas with one another during nationwide climate experience weekends.

Voice for Biodiv

Six young people form the youth delegation for the protection of biological diversity. At events throughout Germany, they discuss biodiversity with young people and campaign for the protection of diversity. At the UN biodiversity conferences (2014 in South Korea and 2016 in Mexico), the youth delegation represents the voice of the youth together with young activists from the Global Youth Biodiversity Network.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The NAJU. In: www.naju.de. Retrieved April 13, 2016 .
  2. a b c From the end of the Second World War to the Millennium: NABU Chronicle 1946 to 1998. In: NABU - Naturschutzbund Deutschland eV. Accessed on April 14, 2016 .