Our primary objective was to foster "Ecological Citizenship" by shifting from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric ethical framework. We achieved this through several strategic goals: • Empowering Educators: We equipped teachers with the "Citizenship Beyond Borders" module, integrating STEAM, Biomimicry, and P4C into daily curricula to move beyond traditional teaching. • Enhancing Literacy: We increased awareness of global issues aligned with UN SDGs, specifically focusing on clean energy, sustainable cities, and marine protection. • Active Citizenship: We empowered students to analyze and reduce their ecological footprint through critical thinking and scientific inquiry. • Institutional Framework: Using our "7-Step Methodology," we helped schools institutionalize green policies, from waste management to energy efficiency. • Local Interconnectivity: Through "Eco-Municipalism," we bridged the gap between schools and local authorities, encouraging students to apply classroom learning to real-world community projects. • Transferable Resources: We developed a library of open-access materials, including a Teacher Guidebook, ensuring the project's long-term impact and scalability across Europe.
The primary motivation for applying for the SEA2CITY project was the urgent need to address increasing environmental pollution and the threat to natural ecosystems through early-age education. Prior to the project, surveys and needs analyses conducted among 450 participants across our partner institutions revealed a significant gap: the majority of our students (aged 12-16) lacked adequate knowledge, skills, and awareness regarding environmental sustainability. Furthermore, we addressed the critical needs of our educators and educational institutions. Teachers lacked sufficient training modules, interactive educational tools, and creative approaches suitable for integration into formal courses. To effectively tackle these challenges, we needed to shift from traditional teaching to a model that combines interactive, visual learning with scientific inquiry processes. Therefore, this project was designed to address these exact needs by equipping teachers and students with innovative methodologies—such as STEAM, Biomimicry, Argumentation, and Philosophy for Children (P4C)—to foster "Ecological Citizenship" and empower the younger generation to produce solutions for environmental problems.