School Biodiversity Alliance: A Creative and Collaborative Approach to Tackle Biodiversity Loss in Europe

"<< Background >>On the 16th of June 2022, the Council adopted recommendations to stimulate learning for the green transition and sustainable development, which calls for education, networking, and new practices to promote biodiversity education to stop biodiversity loss. The Council has identified the needs of educational institutions to:1)Involve young people in designing solutions related to learning for the green transition and sustainable development 2)Ensure that all learners can access equitable and inclusive education on environmental protection and biodiversity 3)Make biodiversity issues relevant to the daily lives of the learners and foster a culture of sustainability 4)Develop in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, curriculum programes and frameworks to develop sustainability competencies, while making it more relevant to learners through local examples and problems. Our project has addressed them by:1)providing scientific and evidence-based knowledge regarding biodiversity conservation and loss 2)engaging students in a collaborative and creative process to think about solutions to problems both at local and international level 3)engaging school staff in integrating biodiversity education in their daily work.<< Objectives >>The School Biodiversity Alliance aimed at “building the capacity of EU schools to educate newer generations regardingbiodiversity conservation and actively engage pupils in being actors of change”. To achieve this, the specific objectives ofthe project were:S.O.1 Develop an international network of primary schools working toward EU biodiversity goals through education;S.O.2 Support teachers of different disciplines (science, art, foreign languages) and countries to integrate biodiversityeducation in the school system;S.O.3 Provide learners with opportunities to understand, engage with and value the natural world and its biodiversity, anduse creativity to design solutions to the biodiversity crisis.<< Implementation >>The first activity was ""School Biodiversity Alliance: network creation and mobility for school staff"". A mobility 13 persons to Lisbon was organized from 10th to 13th of October 2023.An EU school network created to work towards biodiversity goals. ASN drafted a memorandum of understanding regarding the School Biodiversity Alliance. Schools committed to the integration of biodiversity education in their curricula through the signing of the MOU. ASN created the platform of the network. https://www.schoolbiodiversityalliance.com/ Each school involved min.6 pupils in analyzing a local biodiversity issue and prepared a video presentation for partner schools. All results have been published on the platform.The second activity ""Together for Biodiversity"" consisted of the organization and delivery of an art contest for pupils. ArtéTeka prepared the contest rules, which were translated by the partners in their own language. The pupils worked in small groups and their artworks are in an online PDF book sharing on the School Biodiversity Alliance platform. Certificates have done for all the groups<< Results >>The results of the project were:1)An international School Biodiversity Alliance network was created with 6 EU schools and 2 schools outside Europe 2)11 teachers have a stronger understanding of biodiversity education and are engaged in biodiversity education activities 3)at least 257 pupils have participated in the art contest “Together for Biodiversity"" and learnt about biodiversity conservation. The S.Os. were linked to the priorities because: 1)Horizontal; (Environment and fight against climate change)they supported awareness and education regarding environmental challenges and piloted a creative and collaborative practice to prepare learners and school staff to be true actors of change at local and EU level. 2)School Education; Promoting interest and excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and the STEAM approach through interdisciplinary teaching in cultural and environmental contexts. The objectives contributed to the creation of international partnerships between schools and the wider society and business3)School Education; Promoting a comprehensive approach to language teaching and learning by creating a positive environment through the use of digital tools and networking with other EU schools"