The Gibraltar Youth Service recently held various events with the aim of making their members more environmentally friendly. Earlier this month a clothing exchange, a pilot project in a bid to tackle fashion footprint, was held and this was followed by a project in which young people designed and built an urban garden out of recycled materials.

The clothing exchange named ‘Swap over Shop’ enabled members of the community to carry out a simple swap of items of clothing. Young people in the youth service are concerned about how 60% of clothes are non-biodegradable and end up in landfills which contribute to greenhouse gases. As young people, they feel it is important to work together as a community and build a cleaner environment for the future.

The ‘Urban Garden’ project was a brainchild of youth workers, club users and members of the community. The urban garden was created within the Youth Centre’s outdoor area using a variety of materials found around the Rock. Members enjoyed being creative in the designs with tyres, metal, wooden pallets, bottle caps and plant pots amongst other things. As young people, members have a vested interest in nature and as a result worked very closely with members of the community to create an urban garden for Montagu Bastion users to chill out.

The participants also learned about a variety of different plants and the benefits they bring to our environment and wildlife.

For any general information about the Gibraltar Youth Service or future events please contact Mark Zammit, Principal Youth Officer on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 20078637.