#Me#Us#Now project’s first output reflects the concern of students and teachers in the VET ecosystem about the effect that climate change is having both in their immediate environment and in the world.
After four months of work, the #Me#Us#Now partnership has published the Transational Investigation Report about low-qualified people’s view on climate change. This first milestone of the project is the result of documentary and field research carried out in the four countries to which the organizations involved belong: Austria, Spain, Italy and Ireland.
The documentation stage has analyzed the situation of each country with regard to climate change, highlighting the key policies and strategies that are being implemented to address this problem, as well as the training actions that seek to raise awareness and involve young people in this environmental challenge. In addition, case studies referencing actions carried out by young people in each country in favor of the environment have been included.
The field research’s goal is to learn about youth awareness of climate change, the interests that drive them to take action on this issue, the constraints they face, and the personal knowledge and strategies they have learned. Each of these issues was addressed through surveys aimed at both students who are beginning their education in vocational training schools and their teachers. In total, 296 students and 94 teachers participated in this analysis.
55% of students and 22% of teachers still don’t know about Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs
Out of the 390 people surveyed, 55% of all students and 22% of teachers were unaware of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the reasons given is the lack of accessibility of the resources that make SDGs visible; in particular, for those who train adults, the small size of these resources makes them difficult to read.
Both groups express the need to address environmental change and express their interest in improving their knowledge in areas such as lifestyle changes, social media action, community involvement and opportunities to start sustainable businesses.
This investigation report about climate awareness among VET students is based on the threefold approach that guides the #Me#Us#Now project:
- The perspective of “me”: what does climate change mean for the study’s target audience: students?
- The perspective of “us”: who do students talk to about climate change?
- The perspective of “now”: what can students do now to fight climate change?
Answering these questions serves as a basis for the next stages of the project, aimed at designing, testing and developing a guide to help teaching staffs in VET centers further encourage their students to carry out activities that counteract environmental damage.
The #Me#Us#Now project is part of the Erasmus+ program under Key Action 2: Cooperation among organisations and institutions, and it’s focused on the development of resources against climate change, with the goal to implement sustainable and green values in VET and its educational programs.
You can download the transnational report at this link.
