Following a structured flow of activities and after recruiting 12 young Egyptians form Cairo, aged 19-25 years old, the first Bootcamp took place, during February and March 2024, through the following stages:
- Five days Bootcamp, applying theater-based techniques for group bonding
- Three days data exploration on Municipal Waste Management in Egypt and beyond (Hybrid) and upcycling (field-visit)
- Two days Hackathon to connect the dots and identify potential interventions at their city
- Open mentoring process to support the application of ideas of the youth.
- Exhibition of works & insights of participants.
The 2nd Hybrid part of the Bootcamp took place beween 4-6 March 2024 and asked participants to zoom in to themselves and their immediate surrounding, using as starting point their own consumption habits and wastes.
- On Day1 participants turned the “lenses” to themselves and examined their own obstacles, but also their motivations for undertaking pro-environmental action. They were also introduced to stories of impactful young change makers from around the world.
- On Day2 participants engaged in a role play to illuminate the complexities and tensions surrounding food consumed and wasted during Ramadan, and to consider how we can reduce it.
- On Day3 three participants did a field visit and were exposed firsthand to an applied practice of upcycling plastic wastes, through a woman’s local association, upfuse.
Day 1 & 2 of the “Hybrid Part” were facilitated by Iro Alampei, MIO-ECSDE / MEdIES. Although some sessions were foreseen as “Hybrid”, all sessions were held face-to-face in Cairo during this frst pilot Bootcamp.
The insights and tweaks gathered from this pilot will help the facilitators to fine-tune the upcoming Bootcamps in and outside Cairo. Stay tuned.
I realised sustainability had a place in my house, but I didn’t name it like that.
My moto from now on will be: Buy less – Choose well – Make it last !
Since I make jewelry as a habit, I am thinking how I can experiment with wastes from now on.