Young Friends of the Earth Europe

She is young, responsible and a friend of the Earth. I met her at YFoEE Summer Camp 2011 in Hungary where she was helping the FoE Hun­gary team to organise the summer camp. Besides her wonderful help, she created an amazing movie of the summer camp in Ónod! This time we get to know Zsuzsa Földes (age 23), FoE Hungary, a bit better.

Your belief or motto?

Just do what you are interested in, you are not crazy.

What are the main activities of FoE Hungary, and how does the organisation/group work?

Friends of the Earth Hungary hasn't got a Youth organisation but young volunteers can join us who are willing to work for environmental protection. We help with campaigns, actions and the general work of the organisation, and have regular actions, not just in Budapest but in the countryside as well. The young volunteers have the opportunity to take part in festivals, lectures, panel discussions and conferences. We have a Volunteer Club and this year organising the YFoEE summer camp provided a great opportunity to meet and get to know each other better.

How did you get involved in this organisation and what is your role?

I participated in some actions such as Sustainability Day and Car-Free Day and then I had a 3 ½-month internship with FoE Hungary, so I worked in the office and gained lots of experience. Nowadays I do some translating work and I also started to write my thesis about YFoEE! Actually I just decided to use this topic after the summer camp.

What was the biggest success for you since you started?

I think the best thing is that I've met lots of people who are working all around the country and also they helped me to understand how I can put into use what I learned at university.

How did you get involved with YFoE Europe?

This July with the summer camp was the first time I got in touch with YFoE Europe as I helped with organisation. Although it was a little bit tiring, it gave me loads of motivation as well; so I definitely want to continue the work.

Has working in YFoE Europe network changed you personally?

Meeting these inspiring people has reassured me that I am not alone and this is a wonderful feeling. It made me more confident.

Something to tell to young people from the network?

Don't lose sight of your goal!