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LEarning VEntuReS for Climate Justice

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEVERS (LEarning VEntuReS for Climate Justice)

Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-02-29

LEVERS is a Horizon Europe-funded research project led by the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin. LEVERS is a project to shape a just and sustainable Europe through inclusive learning and transformative action.

Too many people feel powerless to take climate action in their homes, schools, communities and workplaces. LEVERS offers opportunities to learners of all ages to collaboratively take action on climate issues affecting their own lives and localities. Our climate action projects support participants to become critical thinkers, individuals who embody sustainability values and have the agency to drive positive change in their communities.

Across nine distinct case studies in Europe, we are investigating the collaboration among a cross-sectoral range of stakeholders as they develop place-based, justice-oriented climate action opportunities for learners and communities using a systemic design approach.
Drawing on critical research and pedagogical approaches, we are also co-researching with learners of all ages, to examine the effect of participating in LEVERS climate action projects on the development of their agency to tackle personally relevant issues of climate justice.

LEVERS adopts an approach to learning for sustainability that is holistic, lifelong, and oriented towards social justice. We have developed a model for cross-sectoral regional partnerships for sustainability education and climate action, entitled "Learning Ventures". They foster the networking, sharing and application of science and technology research, and the design of innovative learning for sustainability in diverse learning settings. Our Learning Ventures are working with schools and communities to co-design localised interventions to activate and engage citizens and communities across Europe in personally-meaningful climate action. Our approach facilitates mentoring, exchange and collaboration between educators, communities of learners, NGOs, academia and industry stakeholders, generating impact at personal, local and global scales.
LEVERS has established the core teams in nine Learning Ventures in different countries across Europe. These Learning Ventures are a replicable model for expansive science learning through multi-stakeholder regional partnerships that collaboratively explore challenges and design learning experiences to address local climate action.

Stakeholders from formal, non-formal and informal education across education levels, community organisations, research and innovation, industry, and government, will be supported to adopt a systemic design approach to create climate justice projects offering meaningful real-world learning experiences through these Learning Ventures

LEVERS has developed a Learning Framework that contains the pedagogical underpinning for the project, and which compiles a wide array of inspirational practices in relation to science education, open schooling, and learning for sustainability and climate action.

The project produced the first version of the LEVERS Field Guide (D1.2) a resource intended to share practical insights and guidance based on our real experiences of building learning communities in nine locations across Europe.

Work has commenced on training Learning Venture participants in leadership and entrepreneurial skills, to develop context-specific business models. Work has also commenced on designing further capacity training for Learning Ventures stakeholders.
Professional learning programmes and Open Schooling resources will enable widespread uptake from youth and adult educators.
Guides for industry engagement, business models and policy recommendations will ensure transformative impact on science education in Europe into the future.
LEVERS Partner TCD site visit to Urban Food Fosest
LEVERS partner CPN showcasing the polinator hotel they've made to TCD
LEVERS partner Expolab on an outdoor workshop
LEVERS Partner Kersnikova presenting LEVERS project to youth mentors
LEVERS All Consortium Partners at project Kick Off in TCD
LEVERS Partner TCD Introduction Workshop with Learning Venture Core Team
LEVERS Partner TCD hosting community consultation on direction for Irish Learning Venture