FOOD RESCUE: Developing 21st century skills and sustainable behaviours towards food waste and climate change

<< Background >>The FOOD RESCUE project addresses the pressing challenges raised by climate change and rapid technological transformations. Schools play a crucial role in preparing the next generation for future jobs and unforeseen problems. To face these uncertainties, students need to develop critical skills such as curiosity, imagination, resilience, critical thinking, problem-solving, and green skills. The FOOD RESCUE project aims at introducing an innovative educational package focusing on food waste as a learning context. By doing so, we intend to move beyond traditional lecture-based teaching methods and adopt student-centred, experiential learning approaches. The project aims at developing an innovative educational package, which combines various pedagogical tools such as maker education and youth activism. This curriculum will not only teach students about the consequences of food waste but also engage them in practical, reflective activities that promote deeper learning and the development of 21st-century skills. Ultimately, the goal is to foster a culture of social responsibility and environmental mindfulness, empowering students to take meaningful action towards climate change and community well-being.<< Objectives >>Overall, the FOOD RESCUE project strives to prepare students for future challenges by equipping them with critical 21st-century skills, promoting active citizenship, and enhancing environmental consciousness. Our three key objectives are:Innovative Curriculum Development: We sought to create an innovative curriculum for primary education (9-12) that raises awareness about food waste and its relation to climate change, and that equips students with transversal and green skills. By adopting a constructivist approach, the curriculum engages students in the knowledge production process, encouraging them to build innovative solutions for reducing food waste​​.Teacher Training Program: We aimed at designing a comprehensive training program for educators. This program focuses on enabling teachers to apply the FOOD RESCUE curriculum while enhancing their professional development in maker education and youth activism pedagogies. It addresses the need for teachers to adopt innovative teaching practices that nurture creativity and social sensitivity in students​​.Promoting Social Responsibility: The project also aimed at fostering a culture of social mindfulness and responsibility concerning food waste, by educating students early<< Implementation >>42 associated teachers (KPI: 20) actively participated in the training seminar, pilot phase, and multiplier events. They played a crucial role in developing the curriculum and served as key ambassadors in disseminating the project. 532 students (KPI: 500) were involved through their teachers, who also influenced their parents and families, leading to broader participation in the multiplier events. These students took part in the pilot phase, which spanned several months, where they presented and communicated their projects and insights to a wide audience. In addition, 458 school staff members and education stakeholders were engaged, with 20 directly contributing to the program’s development. 22 policymakers and various experts from fields such as anthropology and innovation were targeted by the dissemination activities. These experts provided advice to partners and participated in national-level multiplier events.During these multiplier events, round tables addressed food waste and climate change education, exploring related topics like social innovation, cultural transformation, and the integration of such projects in the educational system, with teachers sharing their FOOD RESCUE experiences.<< Results >>The consortium delivered a full curriculum on food waste education and its relation to climate change. This educational package, targeted for teachers and educators of children aged 8-12, was developed in 5 languages (French, Dutch, Greek, German, English) The FOOD RESCUE package features 3 modules (which correspond to three project results R1, R2 and R3), covering seven lessons. Each lesson contains explanatory guidelines, lesson plans, worksheets and maker kit whenever relevant. The full package is accessible and disseminated through the FOOD RESCUE website, developed for this purpose. The website provides a section for training through online courses and access to downloadable material (curriculum). Namely, the results are :R1: an educational package focusing on the relationship between food waste and climate change, including ressources. R2: Maker education teaching materials centred around the concept of food waste, encouraging students to engage in hands-on learning experiences R3: A youth participation toolkit to facilitate youth participation in FOOD RESCUE activities.R4: A teachers’ blended training program combining online and face-to-face sessions, PR5: An assessment and validation toolkit to assess the impact