Teachers for a sustainable future

Project title: Teachers for a sustainable future

Project ID: 22310033

Implementation Period: 25/05/2023-30/04/2025

Supported by: International Visegrad Fund / (Strategic) Research, development and innovation; digitalisation

Project coordinator: Agapé Szkárosi agape.szkarosi@hand.org.hu

Implementing consortium partners:
HAND - Hungarian Association of NGOs for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Hungary (lead); www.hand.org.hu
Grupa Zagranica, Poland (partner); www.zagranica.org.pl/
CEEV Zivica, Slovakia (partner); www.zivica.sk
Centre for Environmental Education SEVER Horni Marsov, Czech Republic (partner); www.sever.ekologickavychova.cz

Teachers have a crucial role in social transition into a sustainable future. Therefore, this project aims to empower various stakeholders of teacher education to be able to enhance the representation and integration of global education within pre-service teacher training in V4 countries by doing comparative research, facilitating networking and expertise sharing, and managing effective advocacy.

As former research shows teacher education is crucial in positive social transformations as future teachers can be influencing actors in fostering education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCE) among younger generations, and have a multiplying effect (BELL, D. 2016; BOURN, D., HUNT, F., BAMBER, P. 2017). Fortunately, both of them are placed at the centre of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a key enabler in SDG target 4.7, so pre-service teacher training was the first educational field on which their aspects began to gain ground. However, research shows that national education systems lack the comprehensive change needed to fulfil their central role and responsibility in contributing to sustainable development.

In our previous IVF project (22020499) the factors determining the mainstreaming of the perspectives and topics of ESD and GCE in pre-service teacher training were examined in all V4 countries. Our findings urge us to continue our work, and empower various stakeholders of teacher education to be able to enhance the representation and integration of global education:

more in-depth research needed
strategic documents should be developed, updated
strengthening of cross-sectoral cooperation
changes in teacher training should be initiated in both directions: top-down and bottom-up
university lecturers are key players and role models in promoting ESD and GCE
lecturers demand exchange opportunities for sharing ideas and best practices
NGOs and other stakeholders should be recognised as sources of expertise and partners

Considering previous research findings, this project aims to empower various stakeholders of teacher education in order to enhance the representation and integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCE) within pre-service teacher training in V4 countries.

Project activities:

1) examine the representation and integration of education for sustainable development and global citizenship education in pre-service teacher education in all V4 countries by doing a comparative research in all four countries to explore in what form and to what depth ESD and GCE are present in V4 universities’ pre-service teacher training programs, understand institutional decision makers’ motivation and role, and examine how future teachers are prepared for dealing with these topics. Research results will be published and disseminated widely in various forms both on national and international level, and recommendations will be also compiled for decision makers.

2) facilitate networking, expertise and knowledge sharing among professionals both on national and international level by a) creating opportunities for consulting and exchange, b) strengthening cooperation both among universities and experts, and also on cross-sectoral level, and c) collecting and sharing good practices, initiatives.

3) address decision makers both on institutional, national, and international level, and conduct effective advocacy work by organizing advocacy meetings.

Project outputs:

Research study reports (4 national, 1 comparative)

Recommendations for decision makers (4 national, 1 regional)

Website for networking and sharing information

Project events:

Kick-off meeting (online) for consortium partners

Project meetings (online) for consortium partners

Consultations (online/offline) in each V4 country

V4 workshop (online)

Dissemination conference (offline, international)

National V4 dissemination events (online) in each V4 country

Advocacy meetings (online/offline) in each V4 country

Project outputs, research studies and recommendations for decision makers will be shared and disseminated in various forms during the project: 1.) sent and distributed via email or newsletters to target groups, 2.) uploaded onto the project's website and promoted on consortium partners’ online portals (website, social media) to reach all supporters and followers, 3.) presented and promoted at 4 national and 1 international project events, 4.) shared in other forms of publications (eg. journals), and 5.) shared at advocacy meetings with university decision makers, officials of state administration. Nationally it will be done at consultation meetings with various stakeholders, and advocacy meetings, internationally we will also disseminate with the cooperation of international networks (eg. CONCORD, NSC, ANGEL, GENE).

During the project our former IVF project’s website (https://www.teachers4sd.org) will be developed further and updated for using it as an international source of information on good practices, initiatives, relevant organizations and contacts. Project outputs, research studies and recommendations will be shared on this as well.

All materials and news about national and V4 workshops, events, and advocacy activities where the outputs are presented will be published and posted on the websites and social media pages of project partners, and press releases will be sent to news agencies.

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.