Building pathways for empowering secondary school students to become agents of change for environmental and climate action

The project aims to strengthen the role of secondary schools in the ecological transition by enabling pupils, teachers and school leaders to become agents of change for environmental sustainabilit...

The project aims to strengthen the role of secondary schools in the ecological transition by enabling pupils, teachers and school leaders to become agents of change for environmental sustainability and climate action. The overall objective is to enable secondary school pupils to become agents of change for environmental sustainability and climate action by strengthening their knowledge, skills and civic engagement. The expected results during the project period are: an e-learning course, a handbook, national workshops, school environmental initiatives, a digital platform, a plan and dissemination materials. The expected results and benefits beyond the duration of the project are the continued use of the e-learning course, handbook and platform as open resources for European teachers, strengthened cooperation between schools to promote sustainability education, the reuse of project tools (platform, action plan, materials) in other educational projects and initiatives, and the continuation of climate change awareness-raising activities in schools and local communities.

The Erasmus+ PATHWAYS project mobilised a coherent set of human, material, methodological and technological resources to achieve its objectives of training, civic engagement and European cooperation around environmental sustainability. The activities carried out were structured around five Work Packages, each contributing to meeting the needs identified at the launch of the project. WP1: Management and coordination (transnational meetings, budgetary and quality monitoring, interim and final reports) WP2: Teacher capacity building (design of the e-learning course, pilot tests in three countries (45 teachers and 45 students), adjustments and final dissemination) WP3: Action learning (Handbook development, organisation of national workshops (60 participants), launch of 90 school environmental initiatives) WP4: Connecting and sharing experiences (Development of the digital platform, user testing and launch, organisation of an international conference in Greece) WP5: Dissemination and awareness raising (Creation of logo, website and social media, publication of 4 newsletters, 5 multiplier events (150 participants), production of posters and leaflets).

The project has produced several tangible deliverables and concrete results. These achievements have helped to provide teachers, students and school communities with sustainable tools and resources that promote climate action and international cooperation. The main deliverables of the project are: a handbook, a digital platform, an e-learning course, national reports, multiplier events, etc. The project also enabled the implementation of 14 school environmental initiatives in partner countries (France, Greece, Turkey), illustrating the capacity of schools to integrate sustainability into their educational practices. • France: composting and biodiversity. • Greece: solar energy, school garden, recycling. • Turkey: waste reduction, composting, water saving, recycling projects. Other achievements include the creation of a European network of schools committed to climate action, the establishment of eco-delegate committees and green teams in partner schools, local partnerships with municipalities, environmental NGOs and local businesses, and the dissemination of good practices beyond the consortium via open access resources.