Sustainability Co-development Lab: Tourism program for environmentaleducation organisations working with youth populations

<< Background >>Our consortium identified a clear need for enhanced educational resources on sustainable tourism that incorporate diverse perspectives and lead to meaningful learning outcomes. This reflected our own experiences in our work.The project emerged from the recognition that tourism is a complex sector that requires an educational approach. This is particularly relevant as European citizens make up the majority of international travellers and tourism accounts for approximately 10% of global emissions. The idea was to link travel choices with environmental and social responsibility.We identified several critical needs: youth organisations lacked adequate training on the social and environmental impacts of tourism; local organisations needed better tools for educational innovation; and there was insufficient awareness of tourism's role in addressing climate challenges in Germany and Spain. While many youth education organisations excel in SDG learning, they lack connections to sustainable travel practices. Our transnational collaboration developed new methodologies that connect all dimensions of sustainability while building organisational capacity, enabling participating organisations to not only teach sustainability, but to embody it.<< Objectives >>The T-Lab project had two interrelated objectives. Our first aim was to enhance the collaborative capacity of our consortium partners to work effectively across European borders in delivering youth education focused on sustainable and inclusive tourism practices. Our second aim was to develop and strengthen the capacity of community organisations working with young people in Germany and Spain, particularly in linking environmental education with the role of tourism in sustainable and inclusive development.In order to achieve these objectives, we set 4 main specific objectives:1. To improve the educational quality and methodologies of the consortium members while addressing common educational priorities.2. To develop the structural capacity of our organisations to coordinate and implement youth education initiatives at European level.3. To jointly develop innovative teaching approaches to help young people understand the principles of sustainable tourism and how tourism intersects with climate challenges, social justice issues and opportunities at national and international levels.4. To build the capacity of local youth-focused organisations in Germany and Spain to effectively educate young people about sustainable tourism.<< Implementation >>Our Tourism Lab project was structured around four key activity clusters:First, we built a solid foundation through planning and co-learning activities. This included developing a governance framework, creating a communication strategy and hosting an intensive five-day co-learning workshop in Spain. This in-person event was essential for team building and sharing expertise across organizations.Second, we prepared our Sustainable Tourism Co-Development Lab (T-Lab). This involved engaging stakeholders from youth-focused organisations in Germany and Spain and co-designing a five-week educational programme addressing key sustainability challenges in tourism.Third, we implemented the T-Lab as an educational programme using a train-the-trainer format. We set up an online learning community using the Action Network Worldwide platform and ran practical workshops with young people in both Germany and Spain to apply our methods.Finally, we focused on evaluation and knowledge sharing by sharing the developed methodological toolkit with educators. We implemented our communication plan and carried out thorough evaluations to capture lessons learned for our final report.<< Results >>T-Lab successfully delivered all planned outputs while creating meaningful impact in sustainable tourism education. We established a solid operational foundation through our project management manual and strategic communication plan. The co-learning workshop in Spain proved instrumental in establishing our collaborative approach.The T-Lab educational programme was fully developed and implemented, creating a robust five-week curriculum and training platform. We established an active online learning community that continues beyond the project timeframe.Our direct educational interventions included the successful implementation of the T-Lab programme and two focused workshops with youth groups in Germany and Spain, applying and refining our methodologies in real-world settings.A key tangible outcome was our Toolkit, available in both German and Spanish, which provides practical resources for youth workers working on sustainable tourism. Our dissemination efforts exceeded expectations, reaching over 500 people through digital channels.Perhaps most importantly, the project fostered lasting collaboration between organisations in Spain and Germany, integrating shared knowledge and creating a lasting community of practice.