Chasing Unseen Water: The Youth Movement to Reduce Our Water Footprint (CUW)
“Chasing Unseen Water: The Youth Movement to Reduce Our Water Footprint” (CUW) is an innovative Erasmus+ Youth Exchange initiative designed to address a critical yet often overlooked aspect of environmental sustainability: “hidden water” (virtual water) consumption embedded in daily products and global supply chains.
Grant Agreement No.: 2025-3-ES02-KA152-YOU-000369332
Project Status: Project Ongoing
Project Type: Erasmus+ Youth Exchange (KA152-YOU)
Partners: ASOC (Spain – Applicant), Changemakers MSA (Hungary), Düzce Orienteering and Nature Sports Club – DODOSK (Turkey), E.O.Y. (Romania)
Participant Profile: A total of 30 participants (10 per country: 2 group leaders aged 25+ and 8 young people aged 18–30), including 3 participants with fewer opportunities per country.
Young people are frequently unaware of how their daily consumption habits directly exacerbate global issues such as water scarcity. This project bridges that gap by empowering youth through non-formal learning—transforming them from passive consumers into proactive sustainability leaders, active citizens, and environmental advocates.
Key Objectives
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Awareness & Knowledge: Build in-depth understanding regarding invisible water consumption and its environmental, social, and economic impacts.
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Behavioral Change & Critical Thinking: Foster sustainable habits, encouraging youth to adopt water-saving lifestyles and conscious consumer choices.
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Youth Initiatives & Micro-Projects: Equip young people with the necessary tools to design and execute local and international micro-projects for efficient water management.
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Key Competences & Digital Skills: Enhance core competencies including leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, digital literacy, and public communication.
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Policy & Public Engagement: Bridge the gap between youth and local decision-makers by presenting youth-led reports and proposals to influence water management policies.
Main Activities
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Youth Water Saving Assembly & Policy Dialogues: Interactive sessions where participants draft conservation strategies and present them to local decision-makers.
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Water Usage Diary App & Footprint Workshops: Tracking direct and indirect consumption digitally to build personalized reduction plans.
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Water-Saving Tip QR Stickers & Digital Storytelling: Creating accessible public awareness tools, digital content, and interactive surveys distributed in public spaces.
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Micro-Project Competition & Gamified Learning: Competitions for creative water-saving ideas alongside interactive tools like the “Hidden Water Adventure Game”.
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“Voice of the Future” Dramatic Performance: A short theater play reflecting potential scenarios of water scarcity 30 years from now.
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Cultural Nights & Global Water Issue Panels: International exchange sessions that strengthen intercultural understanding and European citizenship.
Expected Results & Impact
The project achieves multidimensional impact: equipping participants with vital soft and green skills while generating tangible community outputs—such as policy reports, public QR surveys, digital exhibitions, and replicable youth work methodologies. By raising water literacy, the project builds a sustainable framework for long-term environmental action across Europe.
