EU
Transversal Study Visit
Education
for Sustainable Communities
Monday October 14th to
Thursday October 17th 2013
Stamford, Lincolnshire,
UK
Promoting
acquisition of key competences through the education and training
system - Education for active citizenship and sustainable development
Many schools and colleges in the UK have been developing
strong links with their local community groups and businesses. This
study visit will explore the leadership, support and teaching
approaches that are required to make these links and promote more
sustainable communities. Adam Cade, Director of SustEd –
Sustainability Education, will draw on his extensive experience of
work with UNESCO/UNEP, EU Leonardo, Comenius and Youth in Action
projects, as well as with local authorities, schools, colleges and
universities in the East Midlands region and internationally.
Many UK schools and
colleges have been exploring and developing ways of responding to the
challenges of sustainable development, and especially local
citizenship. Community groups and businesses have been working on
this in partnership with educational institutions to help them in the
formal and informal curriculum, the management of the campus and the
culture of the institution. The schools, college, local authority,
community groups and major businesses in the town of Stamford have
been working together for over three years to develop these links.
SustEd has been working with them as networker, facilitator, trainer
and fund-raiser.
Participants learnt:
- How schools, colleges, local authorities, community groups and businesses can collaborate to develop innovative approaches to education of sustainable development, global citizenship and health education;
- How leaders and managers of the curriculum, school environment and community links can develop social, civic and environmental competences and an institutional culture of care for individuals, each other, the local community and the planet.
Participants:
- Visited primary and secondary schools, and a vocational college that have collaborated locally;
- Observed teachers working outside the classroom;
- Met a range of partners from the local authority, community groups and businesses.
EU
Transversal Study Visit
Education
for Sustainable Communities
Group
Report
1 What
made the projects/programmes/initiatives successful and worth
exploring?
The
Study visit on Education for sustainable communities used the small
and relatively privileged market town of Stamford for its community
focus. It explored the process of transition – in pedagogical terms
from transmissive teaching to transformative learning, in personal
terms from learner to worker and citizen, often through volunteering,
and lastly in social and societal terms from unsustainable to more
sustainable lifestyles, behaviour and communities. The challenges of
successfully making these transitions in schools and colleges were
highlighted in the context of a national education system that has
recently abandoned the Sustainable Schools programme and developed a
more prescriptive National Curriculum. However headteachers,
teachers, pupils, businesses, local authorities and non-governmental
organisations were able to demonstrate to the Study Visitors the wide
range of ways in which these challenges can be overcome.
The
visit explored how local primary, secondary and vocational schools
can collaborate with businesses, local authorities, and community
groups to develop a more sustainable local community and innovative
approaches to education of sustainable development. It also
demonstrated how school leaders can develop an institutional culture
of care for individuals, each other, the local community and the
planet.
- Leadership is vital to make these transitions. The visit showed that this leadership can come from both students and teachers, but needs to come from senior managers with a policy commitment for it to be long-term and widespread (eg. The Green Prefects at Stamford High School, and the Eco-teams at the primary and secondary schools reviewed, managed and suggested changes to the senior school management teams, through the School Council, key teaching staff or local authority support staff).
- Partnerships showed how these transitions were enabled more effectively by encouraging cooperative, social and experiential learning. They were both vertical partnerships (eg. primary – secondary – tertiary education levels, with primary and secondary pupils working on energy reduction in their schools, or university students volunteering in schools) and horizontal partnerships (eg. private fee-paying, state maintained and vocational schools working together in a small town).
- Citizenship and entrepreneurship education were the key parts of formal curriculum that could explore and develop these transitions (eg. twinning of two primary schools – one with a much more mixed ethnic background from Peterborough, and sustainable, low carbon construction projects in the wood using resources from the wood).
- The guided visits by staff and pupils showed that a caring culture and informal curriculum that values care of the planet, as well as care of others and oneself is best able to make these transitions (eg. Welcoming visitors, opening doors, switching off lights, explaining all features, notices etc, all staff knowing interests of visiting group, pride in people and place around the school, college, knowledge of heating, waste management systems, delivery routines etc.).
The
theme of transition built on the principles and approaches of the
Transition Town network, the Egan wheel of sustainable communities,
UNESCO's characteristics of Education for Sustainable Development,
and the former National Sustainable Schools Framework.
The
study visit included shortish presentations, guided and informal
tours by pupils, practical and class activities, educational games
and roleplay, chats with educators and learners, question and answer
sessions.
The
participants described some interesting approaches by their
institutions to education for sustainable communities – in Poland
(the school naming day with pupils, parents and the local community,
the celebration of teachers on Teachers Day), in Germany (differences
in education, economy and culture between the sixteen Länder or
federal states, especially the richer south and Hesse, and the
Comenius Regio Partnership called The Green Way-Developing
sustainable schools, between Main-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse and Solihull ),
in Italy (the importance and value of learning different European
languages (as well as music, songs and dances!) especially English,
the integration of different sectors working with and in schools,
projects on sustainable education, participatory approaches, waste
and the green economy), in Slovakia ( the ELOS project – Education
stretching Borders - on European and international education, and
ethics in teacher
training),
in France ( the Certificate for specialising in green tourism, and
organic farming courses), in Finland (the education system without
school inspections or a detailed curriculum), in the Czech Republic
(examples of how leaders and managers of the curriculum can
collaborate with community groups and businesses in the field of
social and civic competences), in Hungary (the inequalities in
Europe, integration of Gypsy children, the racist views of and about
Gypsies, Jews and other cultures).
Above
and beyond this we learnt from the good ( and less good!) aspects of
the English education system - formal, informal and non-formal for
all ages, learnt from each other about our experiences, organisations
and countries, made good future contacts for possible visits,
exchanges and projects, and importantly had an enjoyable and
rewarding time, with good company.
2 For
each project/programme/initiative
Title
|
Country
|
Name
Org.
Website
|
Contact
Email
|
Target
Learner
|
Features
|
Community
Involvement Team
|
UK
|
Cummins
Generator Technologies www.cumminsgeneratortechnologies.com
|
Nic
Bertrand, General Manager for Hybrid BU
nicolas.bertrand@cummins.com
|
Long-term
partnership with 7 key organisations, including 3 schools.
|
Employee
volunteers help local community organisations and schools. This
boosts staff motivation and transferable skills, and supports
green projects eg. river clearing, nature trail and renewables
technologies. Funding provided for PV panels and bike powered
demonstration unit.
|
Green
and Fair Trade Initiatives
|
UK
|
Stamford
High School www.ses.lincs.sch.uk/page/?pid=16
|
Mary
Cade and two Green Prefects
Dyl
Powell, headshs@ses.lincs.sch.uk
|
11-18
pupils
|
Extra
curriculum activities led by teacher and green Team pupils.
Activities during Green Week, Meatless Monday, vegetarian meal
competition, Fairtrade tuckshop, producing and selling products on
a town market stall, links with charities, regular "green"
assemblies, interview with shoppers and shopkeepers about
consumption and production.
|
Private
secondary school
|
UK
|
Stamford
High School www.ses.lincs.sch.uk/page/?pid=16
|
Dyl
Powell, headshs@ses.lincs.sch.uk
|
11-18
pupils
|
This
single sex, fee-paying private secondary school, with standard
uniforms, illustrated issues of inequality and control leading to
different educational achievement. But exclusiveness was reduced
while social inclusion and multicultural tolerance was increased
by the horizontal partnership of the private school with state
school and vocational college.
|
Education
and training for sustainability in the wood
|
UK
|
Hill
Holt Wood, near Lincoln
An
Environmental social enterprise www.hillholtwood.com
|
Nigel
Lowthrop, Founder/ Director admin@hillholtwood.com
|
16+
NEET young people (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
|
This
illustrated how sustainable, low impact, low carbon construction
from local materials, in a non-threatening, non-formal, but alien
environment, can be a practical motivator for some learners,
especially those who have been excluded from school and a working
life.
It
showed the difficult management of difficult young people in a
caring inspirational culture set in a calming woodland.
It
also showed the green lifestyle and housing of the staff living in
the woodland.
www.channel4.com/lifestyle/green/green-people/hill-holt-wood.html
|
Learn
Sustainability website – online course
|
UK
|
SustEd
– Sustainability Education
http://susted.blogspot.co.uk
|
Adam
Cade
adam@susted.org.uk
|
16+
students, educators and community groups
|
A
15 hour course about Sustainable Development and Education is a
short online course for educators, trainers and 16+ students as an
introduction to sustainable development.
Http://learnsustainability.weebly.com
|
Ethica
– The Ethical Finance Game
|
UK
|
SustEd
– Sustainability Education
http://susted.blogspot.co.uk
|
Adam
Cade
adam@susted.org.uk
|
16+
students, educators and community groups
|
A
role play game on ethical finance and investment, developed as a
Leonardo Transfer of Innovation project.
Http://susted-ethica.blogspot.co.uk
|
Community
engagement and environmental management by a 14+ vocational
college
|
UK
|
New
College Stamford www.stamford.ac.uk
|
Christine
Toulson, Assistant Principal christine.toulson@stamford.ac.uk
Andrew
Patience, Principal andrew.patience@stamford.ac.uk
|
16+
vocational and academic students
|
It
won the EAUC Green Gown Award for social responsibility in 2011.
It described the Green Week, curriculum audit of sustainable
development, link to Transition Town group, campus environmental
management, student pledge, travel, waste and energy programmes.
It
was part of the horizontal partnership between a state and private
secondary school and the vocational college.
|
Developing
low-carbon management led by pupils
|
UK
|
Stamford
Queen Eleanor School www.queeneleanor.org.uk
|
Wendy
Hamilton, Headteacher Wendy.Hamilton@queen-eleanor.lincs.sch.uk
|
11-
16 yr. pupils
|
Guided
tour by the Green team of 4 pupils. Volunteering and funding
support from Cummins.
Day
workshop by Transition Town group for 200 pupils with green
lifestyle activities. Involving local businesses, authority and
community groups.
|
The
local authority as a key supporter
|
UK
|
Lincolnshire
County Council
|
Vanessa
O'Brien, Sustainability Team,
|
7
– 16 yr. pupils
|
Legal
requirement of the Carbon Reduction Commitment for schools. The
SCORE programme
|
and
facilitator for sustainable communities.
|
|
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/parents/schools/for-schools/lincolnshires-sustainable-schools
|
vanessa.o'brien@lincolnshire.gov.uk
|
|
on
carbon management is supported by Lincolnshire County Council.
Pupils are trained in energy management using an Energy card game
produced by Centre for Alternative Energy and a Day workshop for
teams of mixed primary and secondary pupils.
|
Transition
of padagogy, communities and learners
|
UK
|
SustEd
– Sustainability Education
http://susted.blogspot.co.uk
|
Adam
Cade
adam@susted.org.uk
|
School,
college and community staff
|
It
describes the transition to sustainable school and communities,
the transition from transmissive teaching to transformative
learning, and the transition from learner to worker (often via
volunteering). It shows how education for sustainable development
(ESD) can transform our way of living, thinking, behaving,
producing and consuming.
|
Inspecting
sustainable schools
|
UK
|
SustEd
– Sustainability Education
http://susted.blogspot.co.uk
|
Adam
Cade
adam@susted.org.uk
|
School
staff
|
This
activity used role-play as a teacher of a school given a poor
OFSTED inspection for its ESD to ask how to improve each criteria
so it could be marked as Outstanding.
|
Greeniversity
|
UK
|
Peterborough
Environment City Trust
www.pect.org.uk
|
Ian
Tennant, Greeniversity Regional Manager ian.tennant@pect.org.uk
|
16+
learners in community buildings, spaces
|
Greeniversity
volunteers run free green courses and workshops for the local
community. this is a growing national network, supported by the
recruitment of trainers and marketing. It matches community needs
with endangered basic green and domestic skills.
www.pect.org.uk/working-with-us/beyond-peterborough/greeniversity
|
Supporting
graduates as change agents
|
UK
|
Change
Agents UK. www.changeagents.org.uk
|
Nick
Goodman, Group Chief Executive. nickgoodman@changeagents.org.uk
|
University
students and graduates
|
They
help young students and unemployed graduates to prepare for a
career in sustainable development and get internships and green
jobs eg. EU Leonardo Mobility programme for graduates to work with
host organisations in EU countries for 9-16 weeks.
|
Graduate
placement programme to tackle fuel poverty
|
UK
|
Change
Agents UK. www.changeagents.org.uk
|
Nick
Goodman, Group Chief Executive. nickgoodman@changeagents.org.uk
|
University
graduates and fuel poor householders
|
This
project reduces the consumption of electrical energy, and so saves
money, in disadvantaged poor households. An interactive activity
matched domestic electrical appliances to their energy usage.
|
Learning
in a primary school with the local community and outdoors
|
UK
|
Malcolm
Sargent Primary School. www.malcolmsargent.lincs.sch.uk
|
Tim
Cox, Vice- Principal. Tim.Cox@malcolmsargent.lincs.sch.uk
|
3-11
yr. pupils
|
They
used a guided tour of classes, buildings and grounds to show the
Pirate theme day for Yrs 3/4 and the Victorian school day for Yrs.
5/6. They had volunteering and funding support from Cummins. A day
workshop on green lifestyles by the Transition Town group was
organised by Stamford Transition Town group for 500 pupils with
green lifestyle activities. It involved local businesses and
community groups, and the local authority.
|
Student
volunteering for Carbon Footprinting management in local schools
|
UK
|
Environment
Team, Leicester University
www2.le.ac.uk/offices/estates/environment/home/team
|
Dr
Emma Fieldhouse, Head of Environment Team. ejf13@leicester.ac.uk
|
University
students and school pupils, staff
|
University
students volunteered to support local schools in the management of
their school energy as part of the Carbon Footprinting project.
This innovative project has been shortlisted for the EAUC Green
Gown Award for Social Responsibility. They are looking for EU
partners to expand and promote this project.
|
School
Naming Day
|
PL
|
Szkoła
Podstawowa im. Polskiej Niezapominajki w Szczodrem
|
Agnieszka
Cichorek
acichorek2000@yahoo.de
|
pupils,
parents and the local community
|
It
described the school naming day for Forget-Me-Not School, with
pupils, parents and the local community
|
Teachers
Day
|
PL
|
Urząd
Miejski w Zabrzu, Wydział Oświaty
|
Ewa
Wolnica
ewka41@op.pl
|
Teachers,
pupils, parents and the local community
|
It
described the celebration of teachers on Teachers Day, October
14th
|
The
Green Way - Developing sustainable schools
|
DE
|
Landesschulamt
u. Lehrkräfteakademie-Staatliches Schulamt Landkr. Groß-Gerau
und Main-Taunus-Kreis
|
Pia
Painter
pia.painter@gmx.net
|
Teachers,
local authority education staff
|
Differences
in education, economy and culture between the sixteen Länder or
federal states, especially the richer south and Hesse, the
Comenius Regio Partnership The Green Way-Developing sustainable
schools between Main-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse and Solihul
|
Value
of learning languages
|
IT
|
I.T.C.S.
Vittorio Veneto-Gaetano Salvemini
|
Francesca
Neiviller
francesca.neiviller@virgilio.it
|
Pupils,
teachers
|
The
importance and value of learning different European languages (and
music, songs and dances!) especially English
|
Sustainable
education for all levels by Cooperative
|
IT
|
Anima
Mundi Societa Cooperativa Sociale
|
Daniele
Vignatelli
daniele@animamundi.it
|
Teachers,
pupils, local community, businesses
|
The
integration of different sectors working with and in schools,
projects on sustainable education, participatory approaches, waste
and the green economy
|
ELOS
– Education stretching Borders project
|
SK
|
Faculty
of Education, Comenius University in Bratislava
|
Nataša
Ondrušková
natasa.ondruskova@fedu.uniba.sk
|
Teachers
|
The
ELOS – Education stretching Borders - project on European and
international education, and ethics in teacher training
|
Certificate
in green tourism
|
FR
|
CFPPA
Venours /EPLEFPA Poitiers-Venours
|
Aude
Valentin
aude.valentin@educagri.fr
|
Vocational
students, farmers
|
The
Certificate for specialising in green tourism, and organic farming
courses
|
Finnish
Education system
|
FI
|
Kitee
Upper Secondary School and Central Karelia Liberal Adult Education
Centre
|
Kyösti
Värri
|
School
staff
|
The
education system without school inspections or detailed curriculum
|
Collaborative
curriculum
|
CZ
|
High
School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Services SČMSD
Šilheřovice
|
Šárka
Rozhonová
sarka.rozhon@seznam.cz
|
School
staff
|
Examples
of how leaders and managers of the curriculum can collaborate with
community groups and businesses in the field of social and civic
competences
|
European
inequalities
|
HU
|
Edelény
Regional education office
|
Katalin
Kovácsné Balla
katalin.balla.kovacsne@klik.gov.hu
|
Teachers
|
The
inequalities in Europe, integration of Gypsy children, the racist
views of and about Gypsies, Jews and other cultures
|
2.1
Approaches taken by participating countries (both host and
participants’) regarding the theme of the visit. Are there any
similar approaches/measures in participating countries?
What
aspects are similar and why?
- High interest by schools in working with local businesses and civic/social groups.
- High interest by pupils and older students in getting out of school to learn from and work with businesses and civic/social groups.
- Administrative and organisational management problems of taking pupils out of school and inviting outsiders into school.
- Poor understanding by staff and pupils of the practical lifestyles and personal behaviour changes needed to develop the local community more sustainably in terms of environmental management, levels and type of consumption, and societal fairness.
- Slowness of the transition for young people from learning in school to paid work and responsible citizenship.
- Slowness of the transition to more sustainable local communities and lifestyles.
- Slowness of the transition from transmissive teaching approaches (as seen in the role-play of the Victorian classrooms in the visited primary school) to the transformative learning approaches (as seen in the values of the student guides in the two secondary schools).
What
aspects are different and why?
- Interest and culture of local businesses to working with local schools – high in England.
- Proportion of private, fee-paying schools – high in England.
- Levels of inspection – low in Finland.
- Prescription of the curriculum – low in Finland.
- Time and space for extra-curricular activities and projects – low in France, high in England.
- Governmental support for education for sustainable development – high in Germany and Finland, low in England and several other countries.
- Levels and experience of volunteering in, by and for schools – high in England.
- Subsidiarity or regional and sub-regional power-holding, delegation and collaboration between different levels of power-holding - high in Germany, fair in UK, low in Italy, but increasing.
Participants
noted some key characteristics of the English education – the
growing budgetary and curricular independence of schools under the
new Academy system, the inequality between private, fee-paying and
public, state-maintained schools, the enthusiasm and motivation of
school staff and pupils, the wide range of educational resources, the
development and use of volunteers, the strong focus on the
environmental management of the school buildings and grounds, the
wide range of external links by schools, and innovative approaches to
education for sustainable development, citizenship and volunteering.
2.2
Challenges faced by participating countries (including host) in their
efforts to implement policies related to the theme of the visit.
What
are the challenges?
Creating
sustainable communities everywhere is a challenging task. It requires
us to integrate the delivery of social, economic and environmental
goals, to take a coordinated approach, that includes schools, to
deliver public services that work for everyone, including the most
disadvantaged, and to think strategically for the long-term.
Education for sustainable communities requires more learning that is
rooted in the local community, with issues identified by the local
community and solutions found for the local community.
The
community-based approach to education for sustainability has many
challenges that are common to most schools across Europe:
- Lack of leadership from above – both senior managers in schools and local authorities.
- Lack of confidence, motivation and skills by most teachers to integrate sustainable development, citizenship and entrepreneurship education across the curriculum.
- Lack of time and flexibility in the formal curriculum.
- Those living in deprived areas are the least likely to participate in community activities, and so the least likely to volunteer to work with schools.
- Many pupils, and their parents, are living in relative poverty and so are a basic part of unsustainable communities.
- Old pedagogical paradigms rule most European education systems conserving them as unfit for sustainable communities. These are both the cause and effect of unsustainable education systems. Lack of innovation and conservative thinking has fossilized education in our fossil fuelled lifestyle and community.
2.3
Name and describe effective and innovative solutions you have
identified that participating countries (both
host
and participants) apply to address the challenges mentioned in
question 2.2.
Please
mention specific country examples.
We
only identified a single publication from 2001 by a team of educators
in Hungary, Poland and the US that has a local focus on education for
sustainable communities - Guidebook on Community-based approach to
education for sustainability – Developing a new generation of
leaders through school-based programs linked to community issues.
Institute for Sustainable Communities, as part of the Partners in
Education (PIE) Project.
- From Hesse, Germany the regional school authority for Main-Taunus-Kreis were partners in a Comenius Regio Partnership with Solihull, England called The Green Way which focused on developing sustainable schools.
- From Poland Szkoła Podstawowa (Forget-me-Not School) described their school naming day with pupils, parents and the local community.
- From Italy Anima Mundi Societa Cooperativa Sociale described their projects on the integration of different sectors working with and in schools, projects on sustainable education, participatory approaches, waste and the green economy.
- In Slovakia the Faculty of Education at the Comenius University in Bratislava described their ELOS – Education stretching Borders - project on European and international education introducing some approaches to local and global citizenship education.
- In France education for sustainable communities was introduced to the agricultural vocational school (CFPPA Venours /EPLEFPA Poitiers-Venours) through their Certificate for specialising in green tourism, and organic farming courses.
- Long-term partnerships, employee volunteers and funding from Cummins Generators have enriched community links and education for sustainable development in Malcolm Sargent Primary School and Queen Eleanor School.
- Green Weeks at the two secondary schools and the vocational college in Stamford, as well as at Leicester University, have developed an institutional culture of local citizenship and community-based education for sustainable development, as well as established and enriched valuable local collaboration and partnerships.
- Hill Holt Wood, a social enterprise, has enabled young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) to develop skills related to sustainable construction.
- Support from Lincolnshire County Council has improved the carbon management, and associated education, of the primary and secondary state schools.
- SustEd has worked with all the schools and the vocational college in Stamford to introduce education for sustainable development through school assemblies and community events eg. on apples and healthy local food (with Stamford Community Orchard Group), on bikes and safe, sustainable transport (with Stamford Transition Town and Cummins Generators), on sustainable tourism at Rutland Water (with Rutland Cycling and Anglian Water), and on a community hub using Google Groups and Docs etc. (with Cummins Generators).
- Peterborough Environment City Trust's Greeniversity project has enabled volunteers to promote and run free workshops and courses on sustainable living led by volunteers.
- Change Agents UK have recruited and trained recent graduates to work as interns with local communities on fuel poverty projects.
- Undergraduates from Leicester University have volunteered to help local schools with their carbon management as part of a structured programme.
2.4 Assessment
of the transferability of policies and practices. Could any examples
of good practice presented in this report be applied and transferred
to other countries? If so, why? If not, why not?
- National and regional governments could trust schools and teachers and abandon prescriptive national curricula and inspections as in Finland.
- National and regional governments could introduce policies to support education staff with a sustainable schools framework, and associated resources, like the framework and resources developed under the last Labour Government (1998-2010).
- The Community Involvement Team (CIT) programme of Cummins Generators at Stamford could be replicated to other large businesses in both England and other EU countries, especially as there are Cummins factories in several other EU countries.
- A Green Week could be used to introduce sustainable management, education, lifestyles and communities to schools.
- The horizontal partnership of the vocational college with the two secondary schools (one state-maintained and the other private and fee paying) could be applied in other countries.
- Volunteers could be recruited to provide free workshops and courses on sustainable living, supported and marketed by a coordinating organisation.
- Young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) could be offered training and employment in sustainable, low carbon construction using local materials, and based in woodlands.
- The volunteering of university undergraduates and the paid internship of recent graduates could support the sustainable development of schools and local communities, especially in the neighbourhood of the university.
- The Greeniversity project, the Carbon Footprinting in schools project of Leicester University and the work of Change Agents UK could be transferred to some other countries. Anima Mundi from Italy have already confirmed an interest in working with SustEd to develop some of these projects in Italy.
3.
Creating networks of experts, building partnerships for future
projects is another important objective of the study visit programme.
Please state whether and which ideas for future cooperation have
evolved during meetings and discussions.
We
await the details of the new 2014 -2020 EU Lifelong Learning
Programme. A Leonardo or Grundtvig Partnership project on
community-based education for sustainability may be developed with
some partners. There was also specific interest in extending PECT's
Greeniversity project and Leicester University's Carbon Footprinting
in Schools project to other EU countries, possibly Italy. Lastly the
French agricultural vocational school, CFPPA Venours /EPLEFPA
Poitiers-Venours, and SustEd are keen to develop a Leonardo
Partnership project with others on training for community-supported
organic agriculture. Change Agents UK are also keen to explore
extending their Leonardo Mobility project to send graduates to Anima
Mundi Societa Cooperativa Sociale in Italy.
4.
What is the most interesting/useful information that the group
believes should be communicated to others? To whom, do you think,
this information will be of most interest?
The
study visit explored the process of transition – in pedagogical
terms from transmissive teaching (telling learners) to transformative
learning (enabling learners to change); in personal terms from
learner in school to worker and citizen in the local community, often
through volunteering; and lastly in social and societal terms from
unsustainable to more sustainable lifestyles, behaviour and
communities.
Transition
to a more sustainable lifestyle and community is possible and worth
the effort. Good practices are available and can be adapted to
different organisations, cultures and countries. But we all need a
deep change of mind and feelings, helped by responsible, far-sighted
educators, peers, communities and governments.