STRASBOURG, France

The second meeting of EU-supported GreenLens, Anadolu’s environmental and climate journalism training project, began Wednesday in Strasbourg.

The three-day gathering aims to review the project’s progress and outputs to date, set a roadmap for upcoming activities, and strengthen experience-sharing among partner organizations from Türkiye, France, Romania, and North Macedonia.

Opening the meeting, Hakan Guvenlioglu, the deputy manager of business development and sponsorship at Anadolu, underlined the purpose and long-term ambition of the initiative.

“We set out with a clear vision: to train a new generation of environmental reporters,” he said. “By bringing young media professionals together with Anadolu journalists for intensive field-based training, we aim to plant a seed that will grow into strong, responsible climate journalism.”

According to Guvenlioglu, the project has reached its halfway point and is progressing in line with expectations. “We aim to complete this project with high-level success. This is Anadolu’s first EU-funded initiative, and we are working to carry it out with the highest standards,” he underscored.

Aligned with the project’s broader objectives, the meeting seeks to support the capacity development of young journalists in environmental and climate reporting, bolster international cooperation, and ensure a sustainable impact from the project’s joint outputs.

Anadolu launched its GreenLens: Environmental and Climate Journalism Training program in early May to equip media professionals and students with the tools needed for accurate and effective climate reporting.

“As Anadolu, we have long emphasized our institutional sensitivity on environmental and climate issues,” Anadolu’s Global Marketing and Business Development Manager Ahmet Furkan Sahin said. “With GreenLens, our goal is to increase awareness within the media sector, draw more attention to the climate crisis, and encourage stronger, more reliable reporting.”

Representing the Türkiye National Agency, Hur Guldu highlighted the project’s selection in a highly competitive process.

“This project was chosen among many strong applications. Seeing the work carried out here confirms that the resources are being used effectively and with the right partners,” he said.

Partners at the meeting also shared “positive” feedback from the first two GreenLens trainings held in Ankara and Istanbul, which brought together participants from several countries.

“So far, around 10 young people from our side have joined the training, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” Zekerija Berisha from the Institute Polis said. “The education exceeded expectations, and participants are already asking when the next sessions will begin.”

Rakiye Nisa Demir from Station de Jeunesse, who attended the Ankara session, said the training offered rare hands-on experience.

“We took part in the training in Ankara. It was truly a project we loved. It went very well. Both the quality and the opportunities offered to us were excellent,” she said.

French partners also underlined that the second training in Istanbul also gathered “very valuable” feedback, as participants told them that the “training was truly appreciated and that it was truly 100% high-quality.”

Serkan Eruysal, a Romanian partner from Editura Eruysal, emphasized the network created through the program by saying: “This project opened a very meaningful network for our young participants.”

The project is coordinated by Anadolu with support from the European Union and Türkiye’s National Agency, in partnership with Ankara University’s National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law, Station de Jeunesse in France, the Polis Institute in North Macedonia, Editura Eruysal SRL in Romania, and Türkiye’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

Over the course of the three-day meeting, participants will assess key deliverables such as the training module, e-book, and learning management system (LMS) platform. Discussions will also focus on dissemination strategies, visibility plans, and preparations for an upcoming Environmental Forum.

The GreenLens project aims to equip participants with the skills to access accurate data, report ethically, and produce impactful content on digital platforms. Two phases of the training have already been completed, and the educational programs are set to continue through the end of 2026.