"Peatland Peers"

Protect Peatlands, Reduce Emissions!

Do you want to take action for the environment and get your get your boots muddy in nature? Alongside young people from other countries? 

Then apply for the peatland conservation project "Peatland Peers," organized by the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) with support from the German-Polish Youth Office (GPYO).

Who can participate?

Young people aged 18 to 30 from Germany, France, and Poland

The project is open to everyone. We are especially happy to welcome:

• (aspiring) farmers
• (aspiring) foresters
• (aspiring) biologists
• (aspiring) climate researchers
• (aspiring) landscape conservationists
• In short: young people interested in peatlands and environmental protection in general and those who are already working or will be working in the mentioned fields and are engaged in climate protection in general.

You can share your personal motivation with us in the application form.

When?

October 24–31, 2026
Arrival by 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026
Departure in the morning on Saturday, October 31, 2026

Where?

The "Großes Moor" near Gifhorn, Germany.

This former raised bog was drained for peat extraction and agriculture. As a result, it is permanently damaged and urgently relies on volunteers for its restoration.

What awaits you?

Seven days of intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange

• You'll get to know new cultures and languages with a German-French-Polish team.
• You'll exchange ideas with experts and young people from various fields
• On-site accommodation is in shared multi-bed rooms (shared toilets and showers). Meals are exclusively regional, seasonal, and vegetarian.

Five days of hands-on work for peatland conservation and further rewetting

• You'll get to know the "Großes Moor" peatland landscape in Gifhorn with local experts.
• You'll work on rewetting the peatland landscape — for example, by creating a near-natural pump sump, cleaning ditches, propagating peat moss, clearing heathland of scrub, felling trees, and building a dam.

What should you bring?

• You shouldn't be "made of sugar" — rain and cold shouldn't bother you.
• You enjoy hands-on work
• Please bring weatherproof shoes and clothing.
• You should have good English skills, as English is the project language.

Note: Translation into German, French, and Polish is also available.

Costs

Participation is free.

• All costs for the program, accommodation, and meals are covered.
• Travel costs (to and from the event) will be reimbursed after the project up to a maximum amount: up to €250 for travel from Germany and Poland, and up to €300 for travel from France.
• After confirmation of participation, you book your own travel. The DFJW will transfer the costs to you after the event upon submission of a completed reimbursement form along with the corresponding receipts. When booking, please choose the most environmentally friendly and affordable mode of travel.

The FGYO and Peatlands: What's Behind It?

With "Peatland Peers," you'll help advance the rewetting of the peatland landscape near Gifhorn to prevent greenhouse gas emissions. According to the University of Greifswald, drained peatlands are responsible for almost 7 % of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to 232 million tons of CO₂ per year. When peatlands are rewetted, they provide a double benefit for the environment and climate: first, they release almost no more CO₂; second, they slowly store CO₂, turning them from emitters into carbon sinks.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), peatlands make up only 3 percent of the world's land area, yet they store nearly 550 billion tons of carbon — twice as much as all the world's forests combined.

In short: drained peatlands are climate villains, but functioning peatlands are our strongest natural way to lower carbon emissions!

Beyond that, healthy peatlands are biodiversity hotspots for flora and fauna. They also serve as a natural means of regulating floods and droughts.

Through its environmental and climate protection strategy, the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) has set the goal of reducing emissions generated by youth exchanges by 30 % by 2030, compared to 2023 levels. The peatland project is designed to run for three years and is a key part of this strategy. In this way, the FGYO actively supports environmental and climate protection, promotes youth encounters focused on environmental protection, and shapes its own activities to be as climate-friendly as possible.