How it started

Our story

Once upon a time (Brussels, October 2018) there was a group of trainees at the European Commission who came together and produced a short educational video to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The project was supposed to be a small contribution to promoting sustainability at a European level… but the outcome wasn’t what they’d expected. They launched an open call amongst almost 700 trainees to see if anyone would be interested in participating; they found out that there were many young Europeans out there who cared about plenty of topics concerning their future and sustainability.
A short video simply wouldn’t have been enough to collect all their personal stories, amazing projects or grass-roots initiatives connected to the SDGs. The group saw potential in other young Europeans wanting to give a helping hand, in order to spread both European and sustainable values. That’s how the European Footprints initiative came to life.
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Did they live happily ever after (i.e. did they deliver the project)? The answer is yes, with over 30 young Europeans from 28 European countries sharing their personal stories connected to the SDGs, their passions, and the projects or initiatives they took part in. The one-video project soon grew into three short videos and a storybook aimed at high school children under the #WhatDoYouCareAbout hashtag.
But that’s not the end of it!

As the Commission traineeship that brought them together had come to an end, most of the trainees scattered around Europe, relocating for job opportunities or returning to their home countries, while only a handful of the group remained in Belgium. However, the initiative left a strong impact on the participants who shared a dream: to promote sustainable practices and European values through creativity, believing that sustainability is the key to making people’s lives better.

HOW IT’S GOING

And that’s where the new adventure began thanks to funding from the European Solidarity Corps (2020-2021)!
This website has been funded with support from the European Commission. Its content reflects the views of the author (The European Footprints initiative) only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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