Climate Action Academy: Food sytems and dietary habits program for environmental education organisations working with youth populations

<< Background >>Climate change and food systems are intricately linked in a complex web of cause and effect. As the Earth's climate changes, the global food system faces significant challenges, exacerbating issues of food security. This interconnection demands a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted ways in which climate change impacts food systems and how these systems, in turn, contribute to the broader climate crisis. Food systems account for around one-third of global carbon emissions. Yet, surprisingly, research indicates that most countries' mitigation plans lack strategies for reforming sustainable agricultural practices, and food consumption. Building a sustainable food production system is the goal of SDG 2.4 and a priority of the European Green Deal’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy. In Europe, young people express high concerns about climate change. Many feel overwhelmed with the complexity of the theme, as well as powerless and excluded from political decisions. As climate change remains a pressing issue, the engagement, and activism of youth is pivotal for driving positive change. Recognizing and addressing the complexities faced by young people is crucial for fostering their participation in shaping a sustainable future.<< Objectives >>The primary objective of this project was to strengthen the capacity of young people in Germany and Slovenia to understand and innovate food-related climate solutions through the design and implementation of a Climate Action Academy, in collaboration with local organisations engaged in the field of environmental education. The specific objectives achieved were: 1. Sensitise local organisations working with youth in Germany and Slovenia about climate change and the role of food systems and dietary habits in generating effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. 2. Generate change-making competencies in local organisations working with youth by implementing innovative pedagogical methodologies to create solutions based on social entrepreneurship tools to tackle climate change. 3. Exchange of good practices among the participant organisations from Germany and Slovenia. And 4. Communicate the challenges, injustices, threats and opportunities of climate action, food systems and nutrition in Germany and Slovenia.<< Implementation >>The activities were: 1. Planning: Establishment of the project design and work environment; conduction of internal capacity-building; design and execution of online kick-off event with organisations of Germany and Slovenia. 2. Development of content and installation of learning platforms: Platform preparation and content development/adaptation to German and Slovenian contexts; coordination and co-development of methods with lead organisations; communication with experts; promotion of the Academy; selection of participants. 3. Implementation of the Climate Action Academy Food (CCA-Food): 5-week training program with experts' presentations and testing of methodologies co-developed with lead organisations, and self-paced learning content on the platform. 4. Evaluation, Communication and Dissemination: The methods were collected into a toolkit and disseminated via several channels. In Germany, the toolkit was presented and tested at three different events, one of them working directly with young people, while in Slovenia, the methods were tested by the participants in their work environment and discussed in person. A promotional video was recorded and released. Once the project ended, qualitative and quantitative data were collected.<< Results >>The results and outputs achieved were: Internal capacity-building. Joint Kick-off Meeting, which was followed by a separate meeting of lead organisations in each country. Two parallel Climate Action Academy Food training on social entrepreneurship, taking place simultaneously in Germany and Slovenia, where a total of 49 teachers and staff from local organisations working with young people participated to learn and share knowledge about the relationship between the food system and climate change. Two methodological toolkits reflecting on each CAA-Food developed in Germany and Slovenia, a compilation of good practices based on the teaching approach and content of each respective academy. Evaluation of the main project activities, in particular, the training of the local organisations. Dissemination and communication of the main project results with a broader audience in Germany and Slovenia.