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Trashycle – Creativity, Circularity and Community for Youth Well-being

Trashycle is an Erasmus+ project that empowers young people through hands-on activities rooted in circular economy and the maker movement. By combining sustainable design with mental well-being, the project helps youth build confidence, skills, and a sense of purpose—while offering youth workers a practical, open-access program for creative and inclusive engagement.

Trashycle

Trashycle is a transnational Erasmus+ project focused on supporting young people’s mental well-being and social participation through creativity, circular economy, and the maker movement. The project develops and tests a flexible program that youth organizations can apply to engage young people in meaningful, hands-on activities that promote sustainable thinking and community belonging.

Project Goals

The aim of Trashycle is to co-design, pilot, and distribute an open-access program that:

  • Promotes mental health and inclusion among young people
  • Integrates circular economy and maker culture into youth work
  • Offers practical tools for youth workers to facilitate collaborative, sustainable, and creative activities
  • Builds participants’ green skills, confidence, and sense of purpose
  • Inspires long-term engagement in local solutions for global challenges, such as climate change

Implementation and Structure

The project has three main phases:

1. Co-design and development
The program was first developed together with young people and youth workers at Culture House Virta in Tampere. Participants were introduced to circular economy, the maker movement, and collaborative digital tools. Through workshops, ecosystem mapping, and hands-on design thinking, they gathered discarded materials from local businesses and began developing creative ideas for reuse and upcycling.

2. Pilot and training phase
In June, participants fabricated their designs. The youth created functional and artistic objects including a screen stand from old shelves, a table and seats from mixed reclaimed materials, and a visual poetry book made from recycled paper. The process was supported by the project partners during training days in Tampere. The training demonstrated how creative reuse supports not only sustainability, but also well-being and self-expression.

3. Finalization and dissemination
The completed program was further developed in Athens with the participation of two young representatives from Sosped’s Culture House. They contributed as co-designers and future peer leaders. Final guidelines were created to help other organizations implement similar projects. The materials are open access and adaptable to a wide range of youth work settings.

Results and Resources

The Trashycle project has produced:

  • A guideline manual for organizations interested in implementing the method
  • Presentations on circular economy, co-design, and making
  • Surveys on youth experiences and program impact
  • Practical examples and exercises tested with young people
  • Tools for self-reflection and training curriculum for youth workers

These materials are freely available and can be downloaded via the project’s resource page.

Dissemination Events

Trashycle was presented in several dissemination events across Europe:

  • Tampere, Finland: Final event at Culture House Virta with other Sosped Culture Houses and local partners
  • Athens, Greece: Presentation and peer-led discussions on youth empowerment and circular design
  • Barcelona, Spain: Presentation at the TrashTalks event by TransfoLAB BCN, focusing on inclusive fabrication and well-being
  • Lahti, Finland: Presentation at the SSYK seminar with national stakeholders

Each event included dialogue, resource sharing, and reflection on how creative sustainability can support youth mental health and inclusion.

Who Is It For?

This program is designed for:

  • Youth organizations working with young people facing mental health challenges
  • Youth workers looking to integrate sustainability, creativity, and participation into their work
  • Community centers, makerspaces, and educational institutions seeking flexible methods for inclusive engagement

Learn More and Use the Materials

The full Trashycle guidelines and support materials are available for free use by any interested organization.

Download package includes:

  • Final guidelines with practical exercises
  • Presentations on circular economy and making
  • Sample projects and implementation tools

Visit the Trashycle resources page to get started.

For questions, collaboration, or to request a presentation of the program, feel free to contact us.