Sustainable and Transformative Education
for Participation in Democratic Life

STEP project recognises the benefits of empowering youth for the community and the need for increasing active citizenship. However, people, especially the young ones, do not seem to know how to participate in their community. This may be for different reasons, i.e. political, historical, cultural, etc. 

It identifies that education, starting from an early age, is based on an industrial model that is highly problematic, hindering the participation of young people in the community by cultivating individualistic and profit-oriented instincts. 

STEP project supports the change in educational methods and content. Furthermore, understanding that community sustainability is associated with autonomy and democracy, it is important to integrate the values of sustainability into the educational system and lifelong learning. According to the project, communities should explore a new narrative for sustainability beyond sustainable development, focused on the values of cooperation, solidarity and sharing. Such a narrative should be against competitiveness and economic growth-oriented policies, while seeing sustainability as something more than just a trendy lifestyle and a choice of the elitist “developed” countries.

This module gives the opportunity to different sectors to explore these challenges, confront them and seek alternatives, where the “students” are participants and agents of social dynamic change, not consumers. The module addresses different learning and institutional levels and settings (schools, universities, NGOs, businesses, youth clubs etc.). It can be adjusted according to the needs of the learner, the educator and the learning objectives. Furthermore, the user, called for simplicity “the facilitator”, may select to work with only parts of the proposed sessions.

Have access to the module here.

For additional information, contact Amerissa Giannouli.