Clim@venture 1.5 - Innovative missions to reach the 1.5 Degree climate goal

"<< Background >>With the signing of the Paris Agreement, climate policy has become an educational priority. Enabling students to actively shape a CO2- free future shall be achieved through climate education as an integral part of school programs. Additional - COVID has not only put tremendous challenges on educators and learners to change from in-site lessons to online learning while combatting lack of digital and media literacy and consecutive disinformation, it has also put a halt on most mobilities and youth exchanges. An essential tool for creation of common values, civic engagement /European citizenship and exchange of good practices and transnational collaboration are exchange programs such as Erasmus mobilities and DiscoverEU. Creating a green Erasmus exchange for schools with virtual mobility and blended/global climate missions called the clim@adventure, has become the central objective of our partnership: Through our partnership we wanted to achieve more reach, more motivation, more reduction of CO2- emissions by creating a standardized and digitilized virtual peer-exchange for European schools with local climate missions. << Objectives >>In the clim@venture project we wante to develop a digital youth-exchange program making school-exchanges independent of real-life travel and hence resilient against current and future crises-restrictions. Our clim@venture provides virtual learning journeys and student mobility that are both: climate-friendly (because virtual) and covid-lockdown resilient. Our partners also brought a lot of experience with gamification, storytelling and adventure-based, transformative learning that guaranteed an unforgettable learning journey experience with blended learning elements. Towards this goal we wanted to offer local micro-adventures and experiences where participants virtually visit and interact and become climate reporters. They will share their passion and learnings about sustainability /climate protection and get new ideas from their peers on how to contribute to the 1.5 climate goals of the Paris agreement as active European citizens.<< Implementation >>The project's outcomes were developed using the Design Thinking methodology, starting with an introductory course on the subject. This course was conducted during the first Learning, Teaching, and Training (LTT) session in Germany, led by a ViA member who is an expert in Design Thinking. They introduced the project staff to the core principles of this approach.As a result of this LTT session, three prototypes of the learning materials were created, which would be further developed throughout the project. The Design Thinking process began with the ""Empathize"" phase, where we sought to understand the challenges faced by our target audience. To do this, we conducted interviews and focus groups with teachers and students from the four partner countries, gaining insights into their needs regarding content and formats, such as slides and videos.In the second phase, ""Define,"" we decided to create parallel materials for teachers and students rather than separate resources, aligning with the initial project proposal. We then moved into the ""Ideate"" phase, generating and developing prototypes of the educational materials. These prototypes were constantly tested in the ""Test"" phase with teachers and students from all participating countries, and the final contents were further tested during the third LTT in Austria.The second LTT focused on developing Project Result 2 (PR2), a Videobox, which followed the same iterative process involving constant feedback from students and teachers. Project Result 1 (PR1) and Project Result 4 (PR4) were enhanced by Project Result 3 (PR3), the Digibox, which included additional materials sourced from the internet.The final Project Results were showcased at various events in the partner countries, as well as online and at international conventions. Ultimately, we created five modules under the ""Climate Adventure"" theme. Each module includes comprehensive materials for teachers, videos, worksheets, and presentations.The project was managed using a Trello board, which follows the Kanban approach, to track progress and tasks. This board was regularly updated by the project staff to ensure efficient coordination and transparency.The project partners convened in person three times: at the project's inception, mid-point, and conclusion. Additionally, the project team held online meetings every two weeks to maintain ongoing communication and collaboration.An external evaluator was engaged to monitor the project's progress and provide a comprehensive impact assessment. This evaluator was involved at various stages, receiving materials and insights from the partners. These contributions were structured using the Impact+ Exercise, which was conducted both at the start and end of the project to measure and reflect on the outcomes achieved.<< Results >>The material is collected on a Notion page (https://clima-venture.notion.site/Welcome-b71fce53297e4c199befaf6e7fde3919), accessible to everyone Through a well-organized structure, it’s easy to navigate the different modules and explanation overviews. Various pieces of information guide users through the content, explaining how everything is structured and linking to a Google Drive where the different modules are easily found. The extra module, ""Things to Know Before You Start,"" was created to give teachers a good overview and explanation of the whole structure and a basic understanding of the content/materials. Overall, it explains the process of clim@venture and the tools developed for it. This is complemented by the description of a ""TEACHERS"" document, which provides a detailed step-by-step guideline for teachers for each presentation they are showing their students (the ""train the trainer"" concept). In this document, they find all the explanations and pieces of information to prepare each unit. Every module follows this structure, with instructions and training guidelines for the student materials (presentations linked to videos and worksheets). Everything can be self-paced with the free how-to videos and tutorials or delivered as online training, or, if desired, in a classroom/on-site format. It is digital (multimedia) and interactive, with cross-references that guide the user directly to the various learning materials and contents produced in the clim@venture project.Module 0: In the module ""Things to know before you start"" - you are guided through the material, how to select it and how a ""fast track"" and the ""full program"" could fit into your timing. As additional content you find: Paris agreement from 2015knowledge about the SDGscritical media competencestorytelling-basicsModule 1: In the module “energy@venture” students gain basic insights into the topic of climate change. They deal with energy: where does it come from, how can we generate it and what is renewable energy. They also look at the greenhouse effect and the role of carbon dioxide. They conduct experiments to find out why it has such a big impact as an invisible gas.Module 2: In the module “science@venture” The pupils carry out practical experiments on the topics of energy consumption, the albedo effect, heating, warmth, insulation, nutrition, mobility and consumption.Module 3: In the “journalistic@venture” students learn how to conduct interviews and write compelling stories that enable them to develop a positive outlook for their future.Module 4: In the “field@venture” students explore local sustainable initiatives and green projects, discover them as career opportunities for themselves and build their storytelling and networking skills.Module 5: In the “sharing@venture” students learn by publicly showcasing their work results in a local or even international context. They present their findings to classmates, potentially to the entire school, and engage in exchanges with other schools and students who have also participated in clim@venture in their respective regions or countries: Stories worth spreading!"