In “Council Recommendation of 22/05/18 on key competences for lifelong learning” CITIZENSHIP COMPETENCE is defined as “the ability to act as responsible citizens and to fully participate in civic and social life, based on understandingof social, economic, legal and political concepts and structures, as well as global developments and sustainability”.
Climate change and environmental issues are the greatest challenges of our time, with widespread societal impacts already threatening people and communities everywhere. To overcome these challenges, Europe has adopted a new strategy that couples development goals with a firm commitment to climate justice, to ensure that “there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 […] and the whole EU’s economy is made sustainable” (European Green Deal).
Youngest generations play a key role in tackling climate change, since youth-led and youth-focused organizations and movements around the world (see for example the “Fridays for the Future” phenomenon and the UN Joint Framework Initiative on Children, Youth and Climate Change) are springing up everywhere. Youngsters and even small children are concerned about the climate and environmental issues, but do not have enough knowledge, motivation and or commitment to start changing their habits and behaviors.
The project supported the creation of new awareness, competence and skills to actively and knowingly engage students in climate change mitigation actions. Schools have a crucial responsibility in fostering the development of citizenship competences in their students, but schoolteachers need to update their own competences in order to deliver an up-to date civic education, close to the standards of citizenship education.