Climate change is having a negative impact on the environment, the economy and people's health and is now considered one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century.In the past few years, various initiatives have been launched to try to curb climate change. Prominent among them are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations (UN) since 2012. One of them, number 13, is entitled Climate Action.Educating citizens, especially children, and raising their awareness regarding the causes and consequences of climate change. Experts are increasingly stressing the importance of educating children on environmental matters and developing a culture of caring for the climate. For example a recent report by the University of Stanford looked at how this subject had benefited pupils from nursery school through to leaving secondary school, concluding that 83% of pupils improved their environmental behaviour.Students should not have to inherit our environmental problems and in order to keep their future bright, spreading awareness is imperative. Environmental education provides important opportunities for students to become engaged in realworld issues that transcend classroom walls. Activities in this project will be performed combining traditional approaches with modern ones, mingling theory with hands on experiences, challenging the students to acquire and process information, as well as to adapt it to real life situations. The main objectives of the project : -To develop life long learning skills or performance and techniques that will allow pupils to participate fully in the project. -To enable the children to realize that there are many different countries in Europe, each with their own cultures, traditions and attributes, but with a common interest in conservation. -To improve their confidence to take actions and believe they will make a positive difference; -To increase our students’ Respect for the biological, social and cultural diversity that is fundamental to our world; -To increase our students’ artistic creation with recycled materials, -To help our students to become environment–friendly citizens, -To increase our students’ motivations on nature activities, -To increase Caring for self, for others, for living things, and for our planet. -To improve ecological life philosophy on our students,-To expand ICT and language skills which they can use in a meaningful context. UK is the coordinator country and Turkey, Spain ,Bulgaria , Greece are partner countries and our target roup are students 13-18.The tangible results of the Project will be The website and *A PRACTICAL GUIDE ON : CLIMATE CHANGE & LIFE STYLES , its content which will be a result of 2 years activities .During the Project life cycle , there will be 3 transnational meetings , 3 virtual ones and 2 LTTs. By running the action groups, the students have learned a great deal about project management (planning, implementation, communication, follow-up), and gained experience about different channels of influencing social actions and political decision-making.They will improve their ability to think critically about problems, issues and situations and to shift thinking from how to makethings less unsustainable, to the kind of systems and lifestyles needed to achieve sustainability.They will be more confident to take actions and believe they will make a positive difference.They will respect for the biological, social and cultural diversity that is fundamental to our World and become more caring for self, for others, for living things, and for our planet.The Project will give teachers and youth workers the opportunity to work with other teachers in Europe, which will lead to the development of intercultural skills and the ability to overcome certain stereotypes and prejudices.They willhave their methods enriched and their horizons broadened &will increase their professional skills and will have the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with colleagues from other European countries.The schools in partnership will turn into a multicultural educational environment that contribute to the education in a national and international levels, widening our international connections makes getting first hand information about certain aspects of life of other EU nations possible for our teachers, students (and their parents). Each school will develop their openness and cooperation with schools from both in their own country and from other countries with the help of development of interdisciplinary approaches. This project will help to improvement of school climate because stronger relationships between pupils and teachers, better teamwork between teaching, administration and management departments and better teamwork among teachers will spring after this project.
The main objectives of the project were as follows : -To develop life long learning skills or performance and techniques that will allow pupils to participate fully in the project. -To enable the children to realize that there are many different countries in Europe, each with their own cultures, traditions and attributes, but with a common interest in conservation. -To improve their confidence to take actions and believe they will make a positive difference; -To increase our students’ respect for the biological, social and cultural diversity that is fundamental to our world; -To increase our students’ artistic creation with recycled materials, -To help our students to become environment–friendly citizens, -To increase our students’ motivations on nature activities, -To increase caring for self, for others, for living things, and for our planet. -To improve ecological life philosophy on our students, -To expand ICT and language skills which they can use in a meaningful context Education is an essential factor in the ever more urgent global fight against climate change. Knowledge regarding this phenomenon helps young people to understand and tackle the consequences of global warming, encourages them to change their behaviour and helps them to adapt to what is already a global emergency. Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest". In environmental matters, and more particularly, in anything related to climate change, UNESCO endorses this view. For UNESCO, education, especially when focused on children and young people, is a key factor in helping to curb climate change. Specifically, it says that "education... encourages changes in young people's attitudes and behaviour and helps them to adapt to climate change-related trends". Our project aimed to raise awareness among young people about the impact of global warming on our planet and motivate them to take action towards a sustainable future. Through our project, we organized workshops and events to educate young people about the importance of reducing carbon footprint, conserving natural resources, and adopting eco-friendly practices in their daily lives. We also provided them with resources and tools to implement these changes and contribute towards a greener future. Students should not have to inherit our environmental problems and in order to keep their future bright, spreading awareness is imperative. Environmental education provides important opportunities for students to become engaged in real world issues that transcend classroom walls. Activities in this project were performed combining traditional approaches with modern ones, mingling theory with hands on experiences, challenging the students to acquire and process information, as well as to adapt it to real life situations. Through this approach, students were able to develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the impact of human activities on the environment. The project also encouraged students to become active agents of change in their communities by promoting sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.
Climate change is having a negative impact on the environment, the economy and people's health and is now considered one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century. Experts are increasingly stressing the importance of educating children on environmental matters and developing a culture of caring for the climate. In September 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 aspirational goals to be achieved by 2030 that address shared challenges at the global and local levels. The 2030 Agenda includes a specific goal on climate action (Goal 13) and formally recognises that the climate crisis is linked to many other global issues. In addition, Goal 13 on climate action and Goal 4 on quality education both recognise the importance of Education for Sustainable Development and the role of education in responding to climate change. Schools , organisations working with youth , teachers , youth-workers all , have a central role to play in helping learners understand the causes of climate change so that they can make informed decisions and take appropriate actions, and in acquiring the necessary values and skills to participate in the transition to more sustainable lifestyles, green economies and sustainable, climate resilient societies. Therefore, it is crucial to integrate Education for Sustainable Development into the curriculum and provide opportunities for learners to engage in sustainability projects and initiatives to empower them to become active agents of change and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Our project has been created and implemented to provide educational resources and workshops that promote environmental awareness and encourage young people to take action towards a more sustainable future. It introduced an international approach for didactic and pedagogical development of material that provided the participants with understanding of climate change, encourage using the skills learned for climate change mitigation, and know-how about up to date working methods needed in global world of work. The workshops and resources were designed to be interactive and engaging, with a focus on hands-on learning experiences. Through this project, we believe that we inspired the next generation of environmental leaders who will work towards a more sustainable future for all. By adding a systematic and international aspect to create study modules and working models for climate change - related topics, the project is contributing to know-how of increasing transversal competence in a new level.