Compétences pour l’éducation au changement climatique dans les communautés vulnérables Erasmus Project

Project Title

Compétences pour l’éducation au changement climatique dans les communautés vulnérables

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change; Rural development and urbanisation

Project Summary

Both European institutions and citizens feel that climate action can revive the economy and create jobs. However, experts in education and training (Cedefop) point out a critical obstacle hindering the desired transition: the lack of skills. So an EU evolution towards a green economy and a high level of employment would be possible if innovative educational policies and training help young people, citizens, social actors, employees and political representatives to acquire the necessary competencies. The preliminary analysis conducted by the project partners (REPER21, Connected by Nature, Ecosistemi) in their networks of collaborators and beneficiaries (teachers / Romania, activists / France, environmental consultants / Italy) is consistent with this conclusion. The competencies on climate change are sporadic and precarious even among stakeholders in the field of education (formal and non-formal) that are supposed to develop them among various actors in their communities. The project goal is to develop the interdisciplinary and complex teaching competencies necessary for Education for Climate Change (ECC) of 36-time collaborators of the partners (aged under 30 or over 50 years) who carry out their activities in vulnerable communities (rural, small-industrialized cities, suburbs). The project aims working with these communities because their poor socio-economic situation does not only mean a lower standard of living for their citizens, but also reduced a capacity to adapt to present and future effects of a deregulated climate system. We are not all equal before the heat waves, floods, storms, droughts. Without developing competencies in the most vulnerable communities and regions, climate disruption (environmental factor) may gradually increase inequalities (economic and social effects) within Europe, thus weakening its cohesion. The project is innovative in its methodology. It offers an interdisciplinary and complex approach on competencies, which are defined as a combination of knowledge, attitudes and skills. The project is built as a cross intervention in the partner networks in order for them to offer each other their specific expertise (knowledge of teachers, the pro-active attitude of militants, the know-how of experts) but it also teaches all of the base for climate competencies. The premise of the project is that the fight for the climate must become an “open cause” for any type of actor in the field of education. The involvement of only some NGOs towards this cause remains largely insufficient to make a change.The project has interlocking goals:1. Capitalizing the best methods, tools and practices for acquiring teaching competencies on climate change by identifying, selecting, explaining and integrating them in a free educational resources (OER);2. Adapting the educational content of the OER to the specific educational activities of the 36 teachers, environmental experts and activists by creating 3 “climate briefcases” and using them to carry out 108 educational activities in vulnerable communities;3. Strengthening the partnership of the project and extending it to any actor of education (formal, non-formal and informal) active in vulnerable communities by developing an online community for climate change education.4. Ensuring an effective and responsible management throughout the project, conducting participatory assessments for each of its activities. The project uses ICT strategically both by the use of tools, but also by promoting a “philosophy” that encourages sharing and voluntary contribution. The project materialized these values in its “open educational resource.” This output has the most permissive rights: free use, open for adaptation and distribution. Thus, it could be enriched, modified and distributed by partners, target audiences and others (exploitation) after the end of the project (sustainability).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 106665,07 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASOCIATIA REPER21 & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Connected by Nature
• FONDAZIONE ECOSISTEMI-ONLUS