A Tale of Two Futures Erasmus Project

Project Title

A Tale of Two Futures

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The European Commission’s ‘Europe 2020’ strategy for economic growth acknowledges lifelong learning and skills development as key elements in response to the current economic crisis. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe’s resolution on a renewed European agenda (2011/C 372/01) for adult learning states that “improving adult literacy and numeracy skills, developing digital literacy and providing opportunities for adults to develop the basic skills and forms of literacy” are needed for “participating actively in modern society”. At the same time, the European Union has been a global champion in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels to power its economy and tackling climate change, a policy that was confirmed when the EU joined the so-called ‘Paris Agreement.’ The project “A Tale of Two Futures” marries these aims: the learning of key skills for adults to reduce the EU’s environmental impact. The project provided educators in the non-formal sector with the knowledge, basic skills and key competencies to train groups of people to take action on climate change and how to conserve energy and resources.

The Surefoot Effect from the UK (Surefoot); Dom Spain (DS) from Spain; and VšI “Žiniu kodas” (Knowledge Code, ZK) from Lithuania were the project partners. Surefoot equips people with lifelong skills for sustainability by providing (i) space to think; (ii) time to explore motives and feelings regarding more sustainable lifestyles, and (iii) leadership that inspires action. This process has led thousands of people to successfully reduce their impact on the environment. DS is an adult training and development organisation delivering courses for adults: foreign languages, information technology, communication skills, leadership, employability, and enterprise skills. ZK is a non-profit institution with the mission to create an educated society and knowledge that would help reduce social exclusion and enable people to actively participate in the labour market.

“A Tale of Two Futures” had three main parts or Intellectual Outputs. In the first part, partners have adapted the Carbon Conversations programme that has been successfully rolled-out in the UK over the last 9 years, encouraging participants to explore their values, emotions and identity to reduce their carbon footprint. New Country Guides in Spanish and Lithuanian reflect the cultural, economic, and social context of Spain and Lithuania for participants to make changes to their lifestyles in these two countries.

The second part of “A Tale of Two Futures” has documented the stories of 392 organisations, governments, and companies that are saving carbon emissions from the EU and other parts of the world. These stories can be accessed at the project’s platform at www.tales2future.eu which also includes the stories of 50 people who have taken steps to reduce their environmental impact in their everyday life.

The third part of this project helped organisations to start new projects based on those documented. DS’s work included workshops to teach children to grow vegetables at their school and working with adults to transform old, discarded objects into functional and unique pieces. ZK held workshops to show children how to grow and cook vegetables and liaised with the organisation Kampas 360 to invite people to bring clothes from home for recycling. Surefoot held workshops with various community groups to define growing, transport and reuse projects, for example, providing used wood for people to create new items and started a collaboration with United World Colleges to support offices in seven countries to reduce their environmental impact. The project included a photography workshop and exhibition organised by ZK and an online competition run by DS for participants to depict environmental and solutions to these and to climate change. This work has been documented in the “Carbon Handprints programme,” available to all on the project platform in English, Lithuanian and Spanish.

All objectives set in the original application have been met and, in most cases, exceeded. For example, 353 people participated in the Carbon Conversations programme, exceeding the target of 256. Partners have also documented 392 projects saving carbon emissions instead of the initial goal of 200 and have additionally included projects from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Overall, the project has saved an estimated 1,451.5 tonnes CO2e from the 822.6 that partners expected to save, or 76.5% extra.

Recent events such as large fires in the Amazon and other rainforests and the premature melting or large areas of Greenland and Antarctica are making people from all over the world more concerned about the conservation of nature and willing to initiate activities that protect it. ZK and DS are now environmental education and awareness hubs in their respective areas and we believe projects such as “A Tale of Two Futures” could easily take part in every EU and industrialised country.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 179580 Eur

Project Coordinator

The Surefoot Effect, CIC & Country: UK

Project Partners

• VsI Ziniu kodas
• DOMSPAIN CONSULTING SL