On 18-25th of October the youth exchange of the project Wear(e)able took place in the wonderful city of Graz. Participants from Italy, Lithuania and Austria met and worked together on several topics related to sustainable fashion. Youth workers and youngsters were learning about the influences of fast fashion, as well as how to incorporate slow fashion into their lives, how to create sustainable clothing, and gained wisdom on how to buy more sustainably.

During the event, youngsters had a chance to be a part of creating a podcast based on a topic that is related to fashion and its awful effects on human rights, as well as on the environment. In order to make a proper podcast, the youngsters did research about the chosen topic and created a questionnaire to collect more useful information. During this activity, they also gained insight into the life of a radio station and the importance of spreading awareness on the topic of fast fashion. Youngsters got to try out the roles of speakers and recorders of a radio show and all of this was preparation for a podcast, which has already been released: https://helsinki.at/podcast/525946/.

While exploring the second-largest city in Austria, participants also stopped by sustainable stores, local markets and took part in a treasure hunt. After sliding down from Schlossberg, youngsters were creating ideas on how to make sustainability more popular among their peers. Besides creating stickers or websites, they brainstormed ideas such as a clothes swap, as well as creating a video of the most memorable moments within the project. Furthermore, a clothing swap took place, which was really exciting for everyone. The participants brought their own clothes that they do not wear anymore and chose something else that others have brought. At the end, the youngsters were able to bring home some new clothing items and give someones old clothes a new life. The process of sharing and exchanging clothes that have their own stories was a great example of sustainable fashion.

After this event, it is obvious that the youth cares deeply about the enormous issues fast fashion causes the environment, from the 93 billion cubic meters of water textile production uses yearly to the half million tons of microfibers that are being let out to the oceans. Yet it is undoubtedly important to continue educating each other on the topic and having discussions as well as brainstorming ideas on how to start making a change. The topic of sustainable fashion continues to be important and also interesting for the youth. The emotions, friendships and ideas that came to life in this youth exchange have changed the lives of these young people and will continue to change the habits and thoughts of everyone around them. Together We ar(e) able!

Check out the video about the event: