About us
The story behind
The idea of this network is rooted back to a networking event in Bran, Romania, this October 2022.
During this event, we acted upon and shared the concept of quality in our lives and working environments. This is especially true when it comes to partnerships and collaborations. The common need identified has been creating a long-term community of organizations led by shared values of quality, trust and sustainability at the social and environmental levels. Our Aim is to support and empower inspiration and learning.
We decided together that, first of all, we will be a community of partners where each member can find a space to learn, share and grow in synergy with the others, nourishing and valuing their work while contributing and sharing the other members’ activities. We will provide the space for the creation of different activities meant to empower the youth stakeholder participation in each member’s country community, to create and maintain quality partnerships, share good practices and support each other work.
Our why
We want to build a future of young leaders that are authentic, accountable, reliable and prepared to bring sustainable change in their communities.
Coming together was the result of acknowledging that we all are seeking to always bring to the table innovative and alternative perspectives on non-formal education, risen awareness of EU-funded possibilities, as well as creation of spaces supporting youth development.
We understood that together we are stronger, and through cooperation, shared and exchanged experience, as well as through examples of good practices within the network, we can reach our full potential and reach our common goal.
Mission
The European Lead by Nature Network (ELNN) brings together organization with a focus on cooperation towards bringing value and fulfillment in the lives of young people accross Europe and beyond. We are actively contributing to the EU policies regarding the empowerment, connection and engagement of youth, with the purpose of building sustainable communities, where active participation, inclusion, quality learning as well as personal and professional growth are inforced.
We strive to create innovative contexts that foster curiosity, inspire leadership, and enable sustainable development while co-creating the necessary resources to answer the needs of youth and youth workers.
COOPERATION
Facilitating cooperation between EU and international organizations involved in youth work, and among youth, as well as strengthening the operational and management capacities of our network members.
INCLUSION
Ensuring that all youth, regardless of background, have access to quality learning, employment, and inclusion opportunities.
INNOVATION
Developing new learning methodologies and approaches (online/offline) for engaging youth in policy-making and creating sustainable solutions.
Our
Values
AWARENESS
Raising awareness of European opportunities, and providing access to them.
SUSTAINABILITY
Empowering youth to create a more sustainable future by promoting environmental education,advocating for sustainable policies, and creating partnerships to implement responsible practices.
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering youth through guiding them into taking the initiative towards creating sustainable solutions and transforming their communities.
Our
Values
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering youth through guiding them into taking the initiative towards creating sustainable solutions and transforming their communities.
INCLUSION
Ensuring that all youth, regardless of background, have access to quality learning, employment, and inclusion opportunities.
COOPERATION
Facilitating cooperation between EU and international organizations involved in youth work, and among youth, as well as strengthening the operational and management capacities of our network members.
INNOVATION
Developing new learning methodologies and approaches (online/offline) for engaging youth in policy-making and creating sustainable solutions.
AWARENESS
Raising awareness of European opportunities, and providing access to them.
SUSTAINABILITY
Empowering youth to create a more sustainable future by promoting environmental education,advocating for sustainable policies, and creating partnerships to implement responsible practices.
What we are here for?
To engage youth from all member organisations/countries in relevant youth communities and topics that are of interest: learning, making a difference, sustainability, civic involvement
To advocate for the involvement of both the private and public sector into working with young people, supporting their empowerment and active participation
To creating projects within the members’ network that are aiming at answering the needs and preferences of young people
To connect communities of young people in Europe and offering them the resources to make changes, involve them in civic & sustainability challenges to impact their communities
To get the young people into embracing the EU values and understanding the importance of unity
To offer the partners within the network support, training and professional activities that are meant to build the capacity of our members
How do we organize ourselves?
The values, objectives and planned activities are known to all people involved in the process. If there is a decision identified to be made, everyone is asked to share their opinion on the subject and when proposed actions are presented they are backed-up by existing best practices and learnings and estimated facts and impact. The approach is to give a boost of motivation to everyone involved so the accountability of the actions lies with the doer rather than the authority.
Our 7 Principles
Effectiveness
Devote time only to what brings you closer towards achieving your organization’s overall objectives, so that you can make the best use of your limited time, energy and resources.
Consent
Raise, seek out and resolve objections to decisions and actions, so that you can reduce the potential for undesirable consequences and discover worthwhile ways to improve.
Empiricism
Test all assumptions you rely on through experiments and continuous revision, so that you learn fast, make sense of things and navigate complexity as effectively as you can.
Continuous Improvement
Regularly review the outcome of what you are doing, and then make incremental improvements to what you do and how you do it based on what you learn, so that you can adapt to changes when necessary, and maintain or improve effectiveness over time.
Equivalence
Involve people in making and evolving decisions that affect them, so that you increase engagement and accountability, and make use of the distributed intelligence toward achieving and evolving your objectives.
Transparency
Record all information that is valuable for the organization and make it accessible to everyone in the organization, unless there is a reason for confidentiality, so that everyone has the information they need to understand how to do their work in a way that contributes most effectively to the whole.
Accountability
Respond when something is needed, do what you agreed to do, and accept your share of responsibility for the course of the organization, so that what needs doing gets done, nothing is overlooked and everyone does what they can to contribute toward the effectiveness and integrity of the organization.
Funding
European Lead by Nature Network is a Civil Society Cooperation in the field of Youth, funded by the European Union.
ELNN in numbers
20
Partner organizations
13
Countries in the network
7
Projects
1
Events
4
Network meetings
350
Youth involved