Adult Education Institutions and Sustainability at the Forefront of SMALEI webinar
At the beginning of November EAEA launched the SMALEI Digital Academy Talks. The first webinar in the series was on the topic of environmental sustainability of the Adult Education institutions, attended by 40 participants. The expert speakers of this panel were:
- Gustav Fridolin, Folk High School Teacher, Sweden, Former Minister for Education Sweden (2014 – 2019), EAEA Board Member
- Eeva Furman, Secretary General of the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, Finnish Prime Minister’s Office
- Frédéric Ancion, General Manager of Mundo Lab.
The session was moderated by Charlotte Ede, Capacity-Building and Project Coordinator at EAEA, who introduced the SMALEI Digital Talks as part of the SMALEI Digital Academy, a free live online learning course. The goal of the course is to help adult education institutions reflect upon and improve their sustainability, through self-assessment quizzes, activities and recorded webinars.
During the discussion, several key themes came to light, including the importance of adult education to foster critical awareness, reflection and citizenship engagement. Seen in this light, adult education institutions are the hub of local civil society and are a key tool to foster dialogue and conversation to ensure discussions around sustainable development are inclusive.
We don’t want to end up talking with the same actors again and again.
Highlighted Eeva Furman, while giving the example of the Spaces for Science and Hope initiatives in Finland where debates among society are organised in libraries, schools, NGOs and small organisations, with the goal of inclusive dialogue.
Moreover, the role of businesses collaborating with adult education institutions was discussed, with Frédéric Ancion underlining that they don’t want to be “islands of resistance”. He referred particularly to Mundo Lab’s efforts to improve their sustainability, including the eco-conceptualisation of the buildings they occupy, but also the green strategy that they transmit to staff.
The roles of green leaders and teachers were also discussed, where Gustav Fridolin affirmed that “making the work towards a sustainable and functioning world should be at the core of adult education institutions”. He pointed to the good practices in SMALEI Project Partner Glokala Folk High School , where students are co-creating innovating green learning curriculum with their students. Eeva Furman spoke about the need for empathetic leadership, especially in adult education, where educators must inspire and connect with students.
SMALEI Digital Academy
The SMALEI Digital Academy Talks provide an invaluable forum for these discussions, establishing a foundation for continued exploration of sustainability in ALE institutions. With bi-monthly sessions planned until February 2025, SMALEI is set to remain a key resource for institutions aiming to contribute to Europe’s green transition through education. To find out more about the webinar series follow this link. The upcoming webinar episode is on the 21st of November, and the topic is Green Skills of Trainers and Staff.