BSR Youth for SDGs and Circular Bioeconomy (BeUBio)

BeUBio aims to promote youth involvement across the Baltic Sea Region for transition to a bio-based economy and create synergies with other actors and initiatives addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

A platform for youth involvement will be established to bring young people together with politicians and decision makers in companies and create synergies with other actors and initiatives enabling youth participation in the development of a circular bioeconomy within the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and other relevant frameworks. Examples of regional initiatives working with similar goals are the ‘Baltic Leadership Programme on Youth & Bioeconomy (BLP Youth)’ , ‘ReGeneration 2030’ and the ‘Baltic Youth Festival’, which BeUBio need to connect. There is a need for more and harmonised initiatives and methods for attracting and involving youth. That will be a role for BeUBio.

The activities will concentrate on creating contacts with other youth actors in the Baltic Sea Region, trying to find common grounds for a larger project targeting youth, sustainability and bioeconomy. There will be a Pilot Youth Bioeconomy Council established linked to the BSR Bioeconomy Council coordinated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. A mapping of education products on bioeconomy in the BSR will be performed and a workshop at the EUSBSR Annual Forum is also foreseen. Another activity is an outreach to youth initiatives in other macro regional strategies.

The BeUBio started as an idea within the BLP Youth and has been approved seed money funding from the Swedish Institute to prepare for a larger project concept including identified possible other actors and hopefully more.