“We were all working, fighting and learning for the same thing and that’s a spectacular motivation force.” – Sharing back from the Eco Summer Camp in Switzerland

As a participant of  “Our Common Journey to COP26”, coming from CIDSE member organization FEC –Fundação Fé e Cooperação – I had the amazing opportunity to participate in  the Eco Summer Camp for Young Adults in Switzerland. 

During this week, I could connect with people that, coming from different places and with very different backgrounds, think a lot like me; people that are sharing a common search for a more sustainable way of living in our world; young people that take all kinds of action to work in that direction. However, not only young people: we had the chance to learn directly from adults who are now university professors, economists, politicians or the CEO of a big logistic company, and who were able to adapt their specialized areas and their careers to the climate challenges the world is facing. 

I must confess I felt quite small at the beginning of the camp: I didn’t master the subjects and there were a lot of aspects I was not familiar with. But as the week passed, my sense of littleness passed and it was replaced by  a very strong sense of commitment and eagerness to act. I had the inspiring sensation that we were all working, fighting and learning for the same thing and that’s a spectacular motivation force.  

There’s a song that gives me the same inspiration and it was stuck in my head during  the whole week. The song is titled “More” and written byFrederika Stahl. You might recognize it as thesoundtrack of the documentary “Demain/Tomorrow”; It questions us about the way we consume, the way we are addicted to have more, faster to buy more, instead of experiencing the wisdom of “less is more”. This song always awakes me and motivates me to change “from  wild consumption to responsible engagement”, just as the Eco Summer Camp did. 

Teresa Rebelo de Andrade (FEC delegation)