The one with all the water (until there wasn’t any)
Lilac Route in Antalya, 28/05 - 31/05
Selam from the Lilac route ambassadors; Sheenagh, Ewa, and Dimitris!
Having said goodbye to our fellow ambassadors, project team and lovely hosts in Izmir, we finally set off for our first stop of the Action Tour; Antalya. It’s safe to say that we had a very successful introduction to the Turkish transport system, taking a bus that offered free snacks, free drinks and consistent bathroom breaks. Finally arriving at the bus station, we were met by our hosts; Aydasu, Muhammed, Toprak, and AEGEE-Antalya’s mascot, Chico. Little did we know that Chico, a large orange plushie, was to become the fascination of our stay in Antalya.
Shortly after meeting the enthusiastic group from AEGEE-Antalya, we headed towards Muhammed’s apartment; where we would stay for the next two nights. We prepared our beds, ate dinner and then played a game in which the ambassadors were pitted against the locals. Despite being tired from our travel day, we had a lot of fun once we finally got the hang of the game, and soon after we decided to call it a night.
On Friday morning, the locals kindly took us to Konyaalti beach. A short trip on the tram brought us to one of the most stunning views we had ever seen. The clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea were overlooked by the beautiful landscape of the Taurus Mountains. We decided to splash around in the water for some time, before heading back to our accommodation to prepare for our first workshop, How to talk about climate without preaching. Thankfully, our workshops took place in the café where Nisa from AEGEE-Antalya works. It was a very aesthetic café and they were even selling some eco-friendly items such as reusable mugs and water bottles. Nisa and the team took good care of us, offering us water and coffees throughout the day, making us feel very welcomed and comfortable for our first ever workshop.
Despite only having six participants (as many people had travelled home for the Eid holiday), the workshop went very well. The participants, mostly from AEGEE-Antalya, seemed to really enjoy the activities, even getting a little too into character in a climate conversation roleplay. Though the participants had varying levels of knowledge and experience in climate action, it became clear that they all cared for the planet and wanted to start having more climate conversations in their personal lives. It was also enjoyable for us to run this workshop for the first time – trialing it with a small group helped us to recognise the areas that maybe needed some improvement or further explanation. For example, the advocacy graph that we use to map potential avenues for communication definitely needed more explanation.
After our first workshop, and while getting ready for the second, we had a short coffee break during which I, Sheenagh, had an insightful chat with Muhammed. He explained how COP31, the world’s largest and most important annual climate conference, will be held in Antalya later this year. In an effort to prepare for the environmental spotlight that will inevitably be placed on the region, eco-initiatives have increased, with Muhammed showing me a photograph from a sea clean-up in which he participated. Though the city is taking important steps towards climate action, it is hoped that such efforts will continue even after COP.
Our second workshop of the day, Slow travel, slow living was also a hit. This workshop gave participants the chance to plan their own eco-friendly adventures, in the hopes of inspiring them to consider sustainable habits in their future travels. Again, the participants got very excited about the workshop, eager to out-sustain one another. “I’m not a tourist, I’m a traveller”, explained one of the participants, hinting at the non-consumerist role they hoped to play by travelling slowly. It also reminded us of our own Europe on Track journey, and the sentiment we hoped to maintain throughout. Once the workshop ended, we stayed a little longer in the café, interviewing some young people about their thoughts on the climate crisis. Most young people mentioned that they cared about the climate, but admitted that they found it hard to take action. Hearing these comments made us feel even more inspired to carry out the mission of Europe on Track, to turn young people’s eco-anxieties and fears into collective action.
That night, the ambassadors followed their own schedules, with some working, eating and playing UNO at different times. Later in the night, when our hosts had gone to bed, our fascination with Chico (the large orange plushie) culminated, and we decided to kidnap him. I admit, the kidnapping was not totally random, as AEGEE locals have a culture of stealing each other’s flags and mascots. Furthermore, we had been set a number of secret challenges to complete on our Europe on Track journey, and stealing a mascot was top of the list. Therefore, the next morning, our hosts awoke to find Chico tied to the fridge, with a ransom note. To win him back, they would have to help us carry out our workshop energiser later that day. Gladly, our bargaining worked – Chico is now safe, and the workshop energiser was a success.
That same morning, the locals had a very special surprise for us – we had the opportunity to go scuba diving with some friends of Muhammed who work at Sea Leon Diving School. Though we were amazed by this opportunity, only Dimitris decided to take the plunge (Go Dimitris!). After taking Europe on Track to new depths, Dimitris carried out an interview with Caner Taçyildiz, a diving instructor and UNESCO underwater cultural heritage protector. Ironically, Taçyildiz spoke about the loss of biodiversity and the need to protect cultural heritage in the ocean while standing beside one of the most picturesque seas I had ever laid eyes on. Such a setting proved a point, showcasing the biodiversity we need to protect. Yet, Taçyildiz was hopeful about the future, explaining that no matter what job you do, you can still have a positive impact on the environment.
Following on from this, we headed back to the café from the previous day to give our third and final workshop of the stop. This workshop was entitled Storytelling: From fear to collective imagination. In this workshop, some participants had the chance to imagine a world where we solved the climate crisis, while others pictured a world where we failed to stop it. It was interesting to note how most participants admitted they found it easier to imagine the negative rather than the positive possibilities. Indeed, this reinforced one of the central ideas behind our workshop; we need to imagine a positive world in order to be able to work towards it.
Once we wrapped up our final workshop, and carried out a couple more interviews, we then headed into the old town to really put the cherry on top of our Antalya experience. Strolling through the city and taking photographs at Hadrian’s gate, we had really come to appreciate the history, people and culture of this place. Maybe our journey had been going a little too smoothly because, all of a sudden, disaster struck! With a 27-hour long travel day ahead of us, we soon learned that our accommodation had no water, and therefore no option to shower. Having spent nearly the entire trip surrounded by or swimming in water, the irony of this situation was certainly not lost on us.
Still, we tried our best to freshen up and prepare for the journey ahead, saying goodbye to our beloved Chico, and offering our gratitude to our hosts. Antalya, we sure hope to be back!
Written by: Sheenagh Rowland
(and the Lilac team)