iACT (Action for Community Transition) Erasmus Project

Project Title

iACT (Action for Community Transition)

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Social entrepreneurship / social innovation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CONTEXT & BACKGROUND
The project has been designed with the following perspectives in mind:
• The widely agreed need for massive levels of transformative change to achieve a sustainable low carbon future
• The development and sharing of innovation and good practice in learning about and demonstrating sustainable, low carbon living
• The importance of place-based transformative learning to create behaviour change, for individuals and communities
• The emergence of blended learning methods and systems, which can enable massive affordable accessibility and while linking this to experiential learning for deep engagement, and inner and outer transformation

OBJECTIVES
Our specific objectives are to:
1. Create a hybrid virtual and physical networked adult learning system for environmental and climate solutions with its foundations in place-based ‘learning-for-action’
2. Create a system of blended learning and quality assurance ‘badges’ that reflects a commitment to high quality adult education on positive, deliverable solutions to the environmental and climate crises.
3. Facilitate, inspire and accelerate adult learning that brings about change that actively addresses the significant sustainability and climate problems of our time.
Achieving these objectives aims to bring about massive personal and community-led change over time by supporting people to engage actively in the socio-ecological transition in response to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and related goals.

PARTICIPANTS & TARGET GROUPS
14 people will engage in core iACT project meetings, with 200 in-person attendees of multiplier events, and a target of 200+ on-line participants. 43 people will be engaged in in-person iACT training, with at least as many participating in online training. Dissemination activities across the partnership’s extensive networks will benefit many thousands of people, by giving them access to and use of the iACT project outputs. The iACT project participants are composed of a mix of people representing bigger networks of community-led initiatives and smaller adult education providers. They have complementary domains of expertise (including community resilience, social innovation, collaborative and asynchronous working, online learning) and most have long-term collaborative engagement with each other. The project will cater for diverse target groups by creating a network and learning system which is highly accessible by: i) being both virtual and multi-sited; ii) having many points of entry for learners; iii) catering for a diverse range of learners; iv) creating or strengthening a sense of belonging by being place-based and through social learning programmes; v) stimulating new livelihoods in the emerging circular, ‘net zero’ and ethical enterprise economy; vi) fostering social inclusion and local solidarity in the face of the climate and environmental challenges.

ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGY: DEMONSTRATION AND BLENDED LEARNING
The project activities will produce 4 inter-related Intellectual Outputs, linked to a set of Training and Multiplier events that are designed to generate deep and long lasting benefits for the partners and particularly for the wider partnerships, network and collaborations that iACT partners are engaged with. The project activities also include online and Transnational Project meetings through which partners will progress the tasks to deliver the project outputs, project evaluation, and extensive dissemination to ensure wide and ongoing take-up of the project’s outputs, from local to international levels. The methodology will be gather, analyse and collate best practice across a set of relevant themes, define a competence framework and learning pathway for those involved in creating and managing such learning and demonstration centres, and collate a set of valuable tools, all drawn together through a consultative process across partners and though building a wider community of practice.

RESULTS, IMPACT & LONG-TERM BENEFITS
The project will produce a set of results which enable a growing network of iACT Centres and trainers to deliver highly accessible and affordable transformative learning and action for individuals and communities at scale. It will deliver the iACT centre badge as a quality assurance system, that develop locally-rooted methodologies for maximising the effectiveness of place-based learning and community engagement using tools and good practice that deliver significant shifts to low carbon sustainable living. The impact will be that Europe’s communities will be more resilient, with access to high quality transformative learning and community facilitation that bring significant shifts to sustainable low carbon lifestyles and communities. The potential longer-term benefits include massive shifts to low carbon living, health creating and resource efficient lifestyles, resilient low carbon communities, regional economies and ecosystems in Europe, and beyond.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 228330 Eur

Project Coordinator

PERMACULTURE ASSOCIATION (BRITAIN)LBG & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Permakultur Danmark
• Association Green School Village
• FCIENCIAS.ID – ASSOCIACAO PARA A INVESTIGACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE CIENCIAS
• Centre for Ecological Learning Luxembourg
• Sustainable Projects Ireland CLG
• Laboratorio Sicilia 2030