Mission for the Environment

From Berlin to Varcaturo in Italy: 25 young people and children on a "mission" for the environment.

As part of an annual project trip to Italy, the 25 participating children and young people aged between 5 and 13 traveled to Varcaturo, a small community on the Mediterranean coast near Naples, in the summer of 2022.

In Varcaturo, the aim was to rid the sea and beach of plastic in order to preserve nature. At the same time, the day quickly became a special and unforgettable experience for the participants. In addition to the clean-up campaign, the children and young people came into close contact with the Caretta Caretta turtles as they searched for their nests in order to protect them.

But first, it was time to collect trash! The children and young people gathered plastic waste from the sand, helping to clean up the beach. They then took the trash to Varca d'Oro beach to learn more about it. There, they learned about the life cycle of our waste and how the trash they had collected could be recycled.

At the same time, however, the negative aspects of waste were also highlighted. The children and young people learned about the risks involved and the damage caused to humans and the environment, including the oceans, by microplastics, for example. Sea turtles are among the species most endangered by human waste, as they often risk death when they mistake plastic for food. However, as sea turtles face all kinds of difficulties from the moment they hatch, the children and young people were also given the opportunity to support these endangered animals by finding and securing their nests.

Overall, the serious topic of environmental protection and species conservation was the focus of the day, but the playful approach showed the children and young people that even difficult tasks can be accomplished when they are tackled together.

The three managing directors of the non-profit organization Ki. E. Ka. e. V., Efrossini Catrisioti, Marianne Schröder, and Dana Silva Cousiño, who led the project, comment:

This experience enabled us to introduce our young people to wonderful places that should be appreciated and, in some cases, saved.

For about eight years, they have been organizing annual trips for children and young people to the small Italian town of Formia. There, a varied program of sports and cultural activities is put together for the association's daycare groups and older schoolchildren.

The project in Varcaturo was organized by the Berlin-based non-profit association Ki. E. Ka. e. V. in collaboration with the association "Domizia," the "Varca d'Oro" beach resort in Castel Volturno, and the C.O.N.I. (Italian National Olympic Committee) office in Formia (LT). Special thanks go to brothers Davide and Carlo Tizzano [and Armando Caliendo] for their contribution to this project.

in accordance with the following articles: