Go Green and Make a Change! - Active Education on Sustainable Development

<< Background >>The participating organisations are committed since decades to implement educational activities on sustainable development, in order to engage and mobilise adult people as real changemakers. The coordinating institution, UEA, in the framework of its cooperation with the United Nations, has carried out an active educational work on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. In 2020, it has devoted the main theme of its online three-month virtual Festival to the 75th anniversary since the foundation of the UN, with a particular focus on the Agenda 2030. On this occasion, a publication was released, aiming at introducing and consolidating the idea of sustainable development as everyday practice. This international initiative, along with other initiatives carried out at local and national level by the partner organisations have been very inspiring and motivating to initiate further cooperation. On this basis, the participating organisations decided to develop the idea of education on sustainable development as a dynamo for concrete change and inclusion, in compliance with their statutory goals, whose pillars are solidarity, equality and inclusion, starting from the language dimension.<< Objectives >>This project has been aimed at achieving the following objectives: encouraging the exchange of better practice on environmental sustainability for adult learners; providing reusable training materials on different aspects of sustainable development; raising the quality of educational activities on environmental sustainability for adult learners; raising awareness on sustainable development; engaging adult people, especially those at risk of social exclusion, in initiatives on sustainable development in a dimension of active citizenship.<< Implementation >>The project activities implemented during the project's lifespan were: four transnational project meetings (Italy, France, Czech Republic, Belgium) on exchange of better practice on sustainable development and environmental sustainability, with smaller dissemination activities at local and national level, addressing different target groups; a training activity (Netherlands) for educators and trainers to empower their skills, with a wider focus including also teambuilding skills and conflict resolution skills, with specialised contributions on EU policies on green transition ; the preparation and delivery of a bilingual brochure on educational activities on sustainable development for adult learners; a larger dissemination event (Italy), targeting a wider audience and raising awareness on the project topics.<< Results >>The most tangible project result was a bilingual brochure, freely reusable at different levels, on educational activities on sustainable development for adult learners. Moreover, the project achieved a wider awareness on sustainable development; a higher number of educators and trainers better prepared for adult learners; a higher number of adult people engaged in active initiatives, valorising them and fostering their social inclusion; more similar cooperation and exchange initiatives.It is also worth to be mentioned that the project has exceeded the initial expectations, as it has triggered other cooperative initiatives and projects aimed at promoting and fostering better practice on sustainable development and transport, in particular thanks to an integrated approach between train transport and bycicle transport: this longer-term perspective has been feasible thanks to contributions from the International Federation of Esperanto-speaking Railworkers (whose national MOs have been active during the project) and of the International Movement of Esperanto-speaking Cyclist, formally not involved in the project (as established as non-formal group) but very active in the implementation of the project activities.