Deaf and hard-of-hearing young people often face structural exclusion from environmental education and activism, as national sign languages frequently lack adequate terminology for botanical species, biodiversity, and sustainable development.
The PANCAKE YOUTH (Plants Embracing Activism, Counteracting Exclusion) project addresses this gap by breaking down communication barriers. Its aim is to improve accessibility and encourage the active participation of deaf and hard-of-hearing young people in nature education, environmental protection, and environmental campaigns across Europe.
Together with environmental NGOs, organisations representing deaf and hard-of-hearing people, botanists, linguists, interpreters, and deaf young people, we will develop new signs related to biodiversity, botany, and sustainable development for inclusion in national sign language dictionaries. We will produce 200 educational videos featuring deaf performers. These videos will be published on online platforms such as YouTube and Spreadthesign, making them accessible to a wider audience. This will be followed by the production of 100 short popular science documentary videos, featuring subtitles and adapted visual elements.
In addition to developing new signs and digital educational content, we will organise national training sessions for nature conservation professionals and interpreters, launch a European environmental campaign, and organise a final hybrid event in Brussels. The project will conclude with a free educational resource package for schools, youth centres, and nature parks, enabling the knowledge and resources developed to continue being used beyond the project’s lifetime.
Programme: Erasmus+ (KA220-YOU – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth)
Duration: September 2026 – August 2028
Applicant organisation: Friends of the Earth Malta (FoEM)
Partners (9 organisations from 5 countries): Malta (Friends of the Earth Malta in Deaf People Association Malta – DPAM), Belgium (Friends of the Earth Europe), Hungary (MTVSZ in SINOSZ), Austria (Global 2000 in Equalizent), and Slovenia (Focus Association for Sustainable Development and the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Slovenia).
