Unpacking the approach: a step-to-step guide to the Methodology
The vision of education for sustainable development (ESD) is a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from quality education and learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal transformation. ESD is a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term futures of the economy, ecology, and the equitable development of all communities.¹
ESD is about learning to:
- respect, value and preserve the achievements of the past;
- appreciate the wonders and the peoples of the Earth;
- live in a world where all people have sufficient food for a healthy and productive life;
- assess, care for and restore the state of our Planet;
- create and enjoy a better, safer, more just world;
- be caring citizens who exercise their rights and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally.
The objective of sustainable development is to reconcile economic efficiency with social cohesion and ecological balance in order not to put at risk the development of future generations.
ESD aims to ensure that:
- people acquire skills for life, i.e. skills that permit them to live adequately in the knowledge society, this process of learning being continuous along the life span;
- economic development is a robust and long lasting one based on the development of human and social capital;
- social cohesion is protected by ensuring equity of education outcomes for all, that is developing educational systems that permit young people with social disadvantages or learning difficulties to perform/participate in a world within which an increasing number of people are suffering from physical handicaps or disabilities.
Effectively incorporating ESD into the curricula
It is important to distinguish between “education about sustainable development” (an awareness lesson or theoretical discussion) and “education for sustainable development” (use of education as a tool to achieve more sustainable futures).
Generally speaking, ESD is a life-long endeavour that engages formal, non-formal, and informal education (settings and provisions). It accommodates the evolving nature of the concept of sustainability, and it deals with the well-being of all three realms of sustainability – environment, society, and economy.
It’s important to consider that ESD is not “one size fits all,” but must be created to account for regional and local differences. Indeed, ESD is locally relevant and culturally appropriate. It is based on local needs, perceptions, and conditions, but recognizes fulfilling local needs often has global effects and consequences.
An educational programme reoriented to address sustainability should include:
- knowledge to understand the principles of sustainable development,
- issues that threaten the sustainability of the planet,
- skills that will enable people to continue learning after the end of the educational programme, to have a sustainable livelihood, and to live sustainable lives,
- perspectives to consider an issue from the view of different stakeholders,
- values to understand your own worldview and other people’s viewpoints.
The role of Educators
Educators² have a key role as cornerstones of effective ESD programmes (co-developers of the curricula), and they understand the cross-cutting and multi-disciplinary nature of ESD.
In developing curricula, educators should:
- avoid overloading the curriculum and to solely link ESD to one or two disciplines;
- be open to diverse learning strategies to effectively implement ESD principles and contents;
- appreciate the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships – working together to overcome shared problems.
Why ESD for young people?
It is today’s youth and following generations who will be left to face the consequences of unsustainable development. It is their present and future that are at stake. In return, it is young people who are becoming increasingly vocal and active, demanding urgent and decisive change and holding world leaders accountable, in particular to address the climate crisis. They have, and continue to envision, the most creative and ingenious solutions to sustainability challenges. In addition, young people are an important consumer group and the way their consumption patterns evolve will greatly influence the sustainability trajectory of their countries. Empowering and mobilizing young people of all genders, therefore, is a central part of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) implementation.
ESD is essential for young people because it raises awareness and understanding of global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities. This education helps them grasp the importance of sustainable practices and motivates them to adopt lifestyles that contribute to the well-being of the planet and society. Through ESD, young people develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for tackling complex sustainability issues. Additionally, they enhance their collaboration and communication abilities, enabling them to work effectively in diverse teams and communities toward shared sustainability goals.
ESD also empowers young people to actively participate in their communities, encouraging them to take initiative and get involved in local and global sustainability efforts. This education nurtures leadership qualities, helping them become advocates for change and influence others to adopt sustainable practices. Moreover, ESD prepares young people for the emerging green economy, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for jobs in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green construction, and other sustainability-related fields. It fosters innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, enabling them to create new sustainable products, services, and businesses.
Ethical and moral development is another significant aspect of ESD. It instils a sense of responsibility toward future generations and encourages young people to consider the long-term impacts of their actions on the environment and society. ESD promotes values such as justice, equity, and respect for diversity, helping young people become responsible global citizens. It also enhances their resilience and adaptability, teaching them how to respond to changes and uncertainties like those posed by climate change and resource scarcity. By learning sustainable living practices, they contribute to the overall resilience of their communities.
Furthermore, ESD helps preserve cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge by integrating traditional practices with modern sustainability concepts. This education fosters a sense of community and belonging, encouraging young people to engage with and contribute to their local environments and cultures. In summary, Education for Sustainable Development equips young people with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes needed to create a more sustainable and equitable world, preparing them to face future challenges with confidence and competence and ensuring they can contribute positively to society and the planet.
1 UNESCO’s Training Guideline on incorporating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into the curriculum
2 Here intended as the individual(s) delivering ESD programmes.
Unpacking the approach: a step-to-step guide to the Methodology
Co-design is about designing with, not for. It is about challenging the imbalance of power held by individuals who make important decisions about others’ lives, livelihoods and bodies.
Co-design is a design-led process that uses creative and participatory methods. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, there are patterns and principles that can be applied in different ways with different people.
Co-design is characterized by including people’s actions in the design of decisions. This shows a clear deviation from the formalized working model, which is dominated by traditional hierarchical decision-making and usually turns work into an intangible procedure. Other focal points are participant roles, interaction processes, time frame and success factors. A key feature of co-design is thus that co-designers make decisions, not just suggestions (Burkett, 2012).
Co-design sessions take place mainly in the form of workshops in an informal setting. With the help of one or more facilitators, participants discuss and explore ideas through brainstorming and other Design Thinking techniques.¹
There are different methodologies and tools to implement the participatory design approach, but the one that is most widespread and currently gaining the most acceptance is Design Thinking.² Design Thinking is a methodology that originated empirically in the 1990s and represents the point of arrival of a process of defining design methodologies that has involved different fields of application such as: digital service design, product design architecture or writing project proposals.
Co-design or participatory design is therefore an approach that involves a group of stakeholders in creating an idea, generated by the design phase of a concept, product, or service with the aim of sharing everyone’s needs and defining together the guidelines of a project.³
The activities are structured in such a way as to bring all participants into dialogue, transforming them into co-authors of the project. People with different skills and operational levels will be working on the same table, but through Co-design they will be able to channel and align their ideas towards a common goal with the aim of defining some of the criteria that will influence the future development of the project. Overall, Co-design means developing processes for understanding, developing and supporting mutual learning between multiple participants in collective decision making and collective design.
Why Co-design?
The co-design approach in the development of products, services or – in our case – educational resources enables learners to make a creative contribution to the formulation and solution of a problem. This approach goes beyond consultation by building and deepening equal collaboration between citizens affected by, or attempting to, resolve a particular challenge. A key tenet of co-design is that users, as “experts” of their own experience, become central to the design process.
The advantages of co-design are:
- Some groups or individuals who normally do not have a “voice” can be one Involved in negotiations and dialogue.
- Various stakeholders through the project development process, gain greater responsibility, increasing the motivation and commitment from everyone who participates
- Being able to form links and networks more easily, which will allow you to share information better than before.
Furthermore, the educational programme developed within the framework of the CHMKS project aims to train ‘active changemakers’, providing young people with skills, methods and tools to plan and implement educational and awareness-raising activities on environmental issues. in this sense, co-design is an essential tool to enable them to fully capitalise on the training received and multiply the impact of the project.
Unpacking the approach: a step-to-step guide to the Methodology
In order to ensure the development of individuals in a changing and interconnected world, it is essential to have access to training opportunities that enable the acquisition, development and functional maintenance of the competences necessary to enhance personal and professional aspirations.¹
Non-formal education (NFE) refers to any educational action that occurs outside of conventional or formal learning contexts but within a framework of some type.² It is typically defined within an education spectrum that incorporates how it relates to formal education and Informal learning.
- Formal education corresponds to a systematic, organized education model, structured and administered according to a given set of laws and norms, presenting a rather rigid curriculum as regards objectives, content and methodology. It encompasses the formal education system, including vocational and university education, and it culminates in the achievement of a recognised certification, diploma, degree or professional qualification.
- Informal learning occurs whether or not there is a deliberate choice and is realised in the performance of activities in everyday situations and interactions that take place. It is without external support and is not institutionalised and occurs within the context of work, family and leisure.
- Non-formal education and learning is characterised by a deliberate engagement of a person, in any organisation which provides purposeful education and training, even volunteering, civil service, private social service and in enterprises. Non–formal education is any type of structured and organised learning which is intentional and planned by an educational provider, but which does not lead to formal qualifications recognised by the relevant national education authorities.
NFE is an integral part of a lifelong learning concept that ensures that young people and adults acquire and maintain the skills, abilities and dispositions needed to adapt to a continuously changing environment. Generally, the most consistent part of non-formal education is carried out by non-governmental organisations involved in community and youth work. Non-Formal Education is the outcome of deliberate effort and arises from the learner’s conscious decision to acquire and master a certain activity, skill, or area of knowledge. It does not require an external accreditation or assessment and it does not follow a defined syllabus.
Also, the educative processes promoted by NFE supports the development of flexible curricula and methodologies, capable of adapting to the needs and interests of participants, for which time is not a pre-established factor but is contingent upon their work pace. This means that NF learning includes various structured learning situations which do not either have the level of curriculum, syllabus, accreditation and certification associated with ‘formal learning’, but have more structure than that associated with ‘informal learning’, which typically take place naturally and spontaneously as part of other activities.
Non-formal education includes all forms of structured learning activities other than formal education systems. Informal learning, on the other end, includes all learning activities that take place in an unstructured way.
The objective of non-formal education is, by taking a point of departure in the courses and activities, to increase the individual’s general and academic insight and skills and enhance the ability and desire to take responsibility for their own life, as well as taking an active and engaged part in society.
The desire to learn is the key competency of the future. It is therefore important that the non-formal education sector is in tune with using and further developing its obvious potential to create and strengthen the motivation for people to learn.
As already mentioned, NFE usually takes place outside the Formal Educational System but it is still based on sound pedagogical principles.
In brief, NFE promotes:
- Holistic learning as it takes in consideration and aims at the development of the whole person without neglecting any aspect of the participant’s personality (intellectual, emotional, social, physical, artistic, creative and spiritual);
- Open-ended learning, that encourages critical thinking and self-confidence to express opinions, as the issues addressed in NFE are complex and there is not only on correct answer for everybody;
- Cooperative learning, as all participants are encouraged to take decision on what and how they want to learn and they are encourage to actively participate in learning and work together in groups to seek outcomes that are beneficial to both themselves and the group;
- Experiential learning, as core skills and values such as communication, critical thinking, advocacy, tolerance and respect can only learnt through experience and practice;
- Intercultural learning, as NFE promotes learning about similarities and differences between the various and cultures as a powerful mean to fight discrimination, intolerance, racism and violence.
Overall, in NFE the learner is at the centre of the education process. Everything starts from the need and interests of the participants and it continuously adjusted to them.
One crucial element of NFE is establishing clear learning objectives. By the end of each session, participants should not only have a deeper understanding of a particular topic but also have acquired a specific set of competences that can positively impact their lives and environment.
In every training setting, there is an evident training process involving the trainer and trainees, their knowledge, attitudes, skills, values, and the proposed activities. However, there is also an extensive, subtle training process at play. This includes how we manage the space and resources, delegate tasks and power, choose materials, interact with the community, and enable the participation of individuals who speak other languages, have disabilities, or are parents. These aspects can have a significant educational impact. In NFE, great importance and serious consideration is given to these “invisible” training elements.
Debriefing & Evaluation
Debriefing and evaluation are essential parts of the non-formal and experiential learning process. Experience alone does not equate to knowledge; we must analyse what occurred and transform the experience into actionable ideas for the future. Therefore, it is crucial to allocate time after each activity or at the end of a session for debriefing and evaluation. Participants should be given ample time to complete the activity and, if needed, a moment to relax and gain perspective.
During this phase, participants are encouraged to reflect individually or in groups on their experiences and share their insights. The trainer facilitates this process by posing questions such as:
- What happened during the activity and how did you feel?
- What did you learn about yourselves?
- What insights did you gain about the issues addressed in the activity?
- How can you apply what you have learned moving forward?
This structured reflection helps participants extract meaningful learning outcomes from their experiences.
