Young people save the planet – summary of the international Erasmus+ project
On April 29th, 2025, at the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology, a Youth Scientific Conference was held, summarizing the implementation of the Erasmus+ project “Young people save the planet”. The event was attended by representatives of the academic community as well as students and teachers of the Academic Secondary Comprehensive School of the Silesian University of Technology in Rybnik.
The conference was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty Dr Hab. Eng. Krzysztof Filipowicz, Prof. SUT, We welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of cooperation between the University and secondary schools. The event was also attended by Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Anna Manowska, Prof. SUT – Vice-Dean for Infrastructure and Organization, as well as Head of the Department of Applied Geology, Dr Hab. Eng. Rafał Morga, Prof. SUT.
- “I would like to encourage young people to cooperate with our Faculty – both on the scientific and didactic level. We have an open door for young people with passion, and our fields of study, including a new field - revitalization of post-industrial areas, are a response to the real needs of the environment and the economy” - said Dr Hab. Eng. Rafał Morga, Prof. SUT to the gathered students.
The conference was also attended by the director and deputy director of the Academic Secondary Comprehensive School of the Silesian University of Technology in Rybnik, who actively support educational and pro-ecological activities among young people.
The main person responsible for the organization of the event was Dr Hab. Eng. Magdalena Kokowska-Pawłowska, Prof. SUT – a geography teacher at ALO and a researcher at the Department of Applied Geology, who combines the world of youth education with academic activity on a daily basis. During the conference she summarized the implementation of the international Erasmus+ project.
"This project has shown that young people not only want to talk about the future of the planet, but can lead a mature, international dialog on ecology and responsibility. As a geography teacher and researcher, I have great satisfaction seeing how students develop their passions – both during classes at school and during our trips together, such as to Finland” – said Dr Hab. Eng. Magdalena Kokowska-Pawłowska, Prof. SUT to the gathered students.
The conference began with a lecture by Dr Hab. Eng. Tomasz Suponik, Prof. SUT, dedicated to the recycling of e-waste and the circular economy. The participants learned how to recover valuable metals from PCBs, hard drives, and other electronic components – using environmentally friendly technologies. The professor emphasized that in the face of global environmental challenges, these topics become particularly important, and the recycling process itself, although advanced, does not have to be as complicated as it might seem.
The highlight of the program were presentations of ALO students who presented the results of their research and observations on waste management and pro-ecological attitudes in Poland, Spain, and Finland. The presentations were carefully prepared, enriched with short video materials and showed the high level of content of the young speakers.
The presentations became a starting point for an interesting and factual discussion on environmental education, social awareness, as well as cultural and mental differences affecting pro-environmental behaviour in various parts of Europe.
The conference was an excellent example of how science can be effectively combined with youth education and sustainable development. The Erasmus+ project “Young people save the planet” not only involved students and teachers but also laid the foundation for future inter-generational and inter-institutional cooperation.
