The main objective of NEW Loops is to provide knowledge and tools to people of all ages to make their lives more sustainable.
Its general activities include:
i) organizing workshops on regenerative agriculture, permaculture, upcycling, accessible sustainable technologies, non-formal education, sociocracy, etc.;
ii) organizing and participating in European youth exchanges;
iii) developing and coordinating local, regional, and international projects;
iv) organizing community events, volunteering days, and forums;
v) creating a network of regional regenerative projects;
vi) developing and maintaining an educational farm with a nursery of native and semi-arid species, with regenerative garden systems and a natural playground;
vii) developing outdoor non-formal education activities with children (ages 3 to 10) based on the methodologies, ethics, and principles of Outdoor Learning, Forest School, and Permaculture.
NEW Loops has organized several permaculture courses and meetings, and has provided training on sustainability-related topics (agroforestry, cultivation of edible mushrooms, urban gardens, solar energy, bioconstruction, upcycling). It was a partner in the Erasmus+ KA2 project “Idea(l)s in Action,” which organized the European tour “Heterotopia.” This strategic partnership addressed the problems of (youth) unemployment and the need to move towards a more sustainable and inclusive development. Its objective was to inspire and empower people, allowing them to believe in their abilities to act and create the positive change they hope for in their lives and communities. This project was at the same time a training program for young people and social workers, a research program based on active pedagogy and non-formal education experiences, an awareness-raising program on
social and environmental issues, and a promotion of social innovation and innovative lifestyles.
Since the foundation of the association, NEW Loops has provided opportunities to many young people on site and abroad. Most of the activities, courses, and workshops in recent years have been aimed primarily at young people and adults (ages ≥ 13 years). In the two Erasmus+ youth exchanges that NEW Loops organized, as well as in others where it was the sending organization, it favored, supported, and facilitated the participation of young people with fewer opportunities resulting from economic difficulties, geographic or social barriers, cultural differences, among others. In recent years, the association has also developed non-formal outdoor education activities with children (ages 3 to 10) from the surrounding community and as a complement to school and early childhood education activities at home. A collaboration was initiated with a Social Institution to develop spaces and activities for children with fewer opportunities.