Conference Agenda

Young people are pivotal in driving the (future) implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering successful sustainable transformation both globally and regionally. To achieve this, they need engaging learning opportunities and effective support to acquire essential sustainability competencies. By establishing this foundation, the young generation will be empowered to assume responsibility and actively contribute to shaping a sustainable future.

However, the challenge lies in designing learning settings that effectively engage, motivate and cater to diverse groups of young people, enabling them to collaborate on solutions for future challenges. Understanding the sustainability awareness and competencies of young individuals is crucial for developing tailored learning interventions. In Germany, numerous well-established-surveys routinely gather data on the daily lives, attitudes, and opinions of young people [1-5]. At the European level, the #ClimateofChange project conducted one of the latest surveys across 23 European countries, primarily exploring young people’s perception and knowledge regarding the interplay between climate change and migration [6]. While shedding light on motivations for sustainable living, the study also unveils variations based on gender, residence in urban or rural areas, and educational background. However, the existing German studies lack the specificity to scrutinize data at a regional level, such as our focus on the northwest part of Lower Saxony, characterized mainly by rural regions.

Additionally, our emphasis is on embracing the diversity of young individuals, taking into account their social backgrounds, interests, and needs to cater to all segments of society. Many existing studies exhibit a pre-existing bias towards groups with a heightened affinity for sustainability, as these individuals are more likely to participate in interviews on this topic. Consequently, we conducted focus group discussions, engaging with diverse groups of young people from various contexts, to gain deeper insights into their awareness of sustainability and their proficiency in sustainability competencies.

These findings serve as the foundation for crafting a novel learning intervention rooted in the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) [7] and ‘learning workshops’ [“Lernwerkstaetten”], a concept originating in German-speaking countries in the 1990s [8]. The innovative format is built upon action-oriented and transformative pedagogy, prioritizing learner-centric approaches, reflection loops, active participation, and exploratory, interconnected learning as main pedagogical principles [9 and 10]. Furthermore, the design of the learning environment is pivotal in realizing these pedagogical objectives. Leveraging the 'learning workshops' concept provides a valuable framework, particularly in shaping an environment that fosters diverse ways of learning and cultivates an atmosphere of astonishment, irritation, exploration, invention, and inspiration [11].

The amalgamation of prior experiences with these concepts and the insights gleaned from the focus groups will enable us to formulate a novel approach aimed at effectively empowering young people to actively engage in sustainable transformation. To foster a comprehensive understanding of both cross-regional dynamics and regional nuances, engaging in European-level exchanges proves invaluable. While our initial focus is on a regional level, targeting specific groups of young people, our findings and newly developed concepts can contribute to an international discourse on empowering youth for the globally essential sustainable transformation. Thus, a crucial aspect involves comprehending the intricacies of the addressed groups, a goal our study aims to advance.

INTRODUCTION

Our paper analyses the affordances of a selection of pre-university subjects for climate-related learning, focusing on Victoria and extending this to other Australian states and territories. Internationally, the K-12 education sector has seen a range of responses that illustrate shallow to deeper forms of engagement with the climate crisis (e.g., NRC, 2012; Bonnett, 2013; Henderson & Drewes, 2020; Dunlop et al. 2021; Finnegan, 2023). On the one hand, studies show curriculum is designed and enacted in particular subject areas in ways that can foster forms of denialism, disavowal and negation,directly and indirectly (see Eaton & Day, 2020; Höhle & Bengtsson, 2023; Perrin, 2023; Säfström & Östman, 2020; Tannock, 2020, and most recently, PragerU and climate denial education in Florida). On the other, there are a range of initiatives in curricular, co-curricular or extra-curricular spaces may propose fostering variousdimensions of ‘climate literacy’ to combat this, as well as reframe contemporary educational priorities (see Huopenen, 2023; Kwauk & Wyss, 2023; Mayes & Center, 2023; Ruiz-Mallén et al., 2022; Cook et al., 2023).

In Victoria, like the affordances in other Australian states and territories, current state-level education policy has created two main clusters for learning about climate within Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and HASS (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences). Our study illustrates how both clusters offer core and optional areas for provision of quality climate-related learning—i.e. that might engender hope and action—for 16-19 year olds, even as they present diverse opportunities for advancing learning and competence development in cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural domains.

Extending Dawson et al.’s (2022) recent international comparative study of middle years climate-related curriculum, we offer an examination of the the breadth, depth and quality of learning affordances in the current and next generation versions of VCEs, and present an analysis of patterns of possible learning within and across subjects. Findings for Victoria suggest continued fragmentation within some study designs, innovation and depth in others, and significant differences in emphasis and approach across each cluster. We then extend this analysis to the equivalent provision in the other current state and territory senior secondary school certificates.

Dawson et al. (2022) documented the inadequacies in climate change education provision in Australian Foundation to Year 10 (F-10, 4-16 years old) curriculum, a curriculum policy that sets the foundations for each of Australia’s state and territory curriculum authorities. While the term ‘climate change’ appears in the policy, it is barely mentioned. Most often it appears at Years 9 or 10 (15-16 years old) and when it does, it is presented as a context or example rather than a core or mandated aspect or discrete topic and knowledge. For the previous version of the Australian curriculum, Dawson et al. (2022) concluded “although there are implicit opportunities for a teacher to choose to teach climate change it is not explicit or mandated” (p.1387). Now, Version 9.0 of the science curriculum for Year 10 mentions, “Describe trends in patterns of global climate change and identify causal factors”, but this is the only entry, and it is unlikely to offer what NOAA regards as ‘climate literacy’ (or climate science literacy for that matter). For students too, it ill affords sufficient preparation to select pre-university courses that round out their knowledge and competences, or know how to address the shortcomings in current provision by choosing subjects or finding teachers that can correct this (Beasy et al., 2023).

Biodiversity, i.e., the variety of life on Earth, plays a crucial role in sustaining human life directly by providing ecosystem services like feeding humanity or producing oxygen and indirectly by increasing the resiliency of biosystems toward global changes like climate change. Unfortunately, the growing human activity on Earth has led to a rapidly increasing loss of biodiversity. Given the uttermost importance of biodiversity, it should be very alarming that according to scientific estimates, the rate of biodiversity loss is not just one of the areas of planetary boundaries in which humankind has reached the planet's limits but it is the area where the boundary transgression is the greatest (Rockstörm, 2009). The rate of human-driven biodiversity loss is so high that it is classified as the sixth major extinction event in the geological history of life (Chapin et al., 2000).

Despite the above-mentioned dangerous trend of biodiversity loss, even current global educational overviews declare that there is a common lack of awareness of the importance of biodiversity. In many cases, biodiversity is still perceived as a mere resource for exploitation (UNESCO, 2022). Fortunately, there are data available that contradict these conclusions. According to the analyses of the European Commission, Europeans' knowledge about biodiversity had increased between 2013 and 2018, and almost two-thirds of the Europeans are aware that human life is based upon biodiversity (European Commission, n.d.).

In light of the importance of biodiversity as a topic and the inconsistencies in the data on public thinking about biodiversity, there is surprisingly little comprehensive research on students' attitudes towards biodiversity. Much of the research on biodiversity among students has not so much focused on attitudes towards biodiversity but on students' knowledge systems and gaps in their knowledge of biodiversity (e.g. Bermudez & Lindemann-Matthies, 2020).

Teenagers are at a crucial stage of personal development where their values and attitudes are shaped. Harnessing their enthusiasm and curiosity for the natural world can have a lasting impact on their environmental consciousness. By instilling a sense of responsibility and appreciation for biodiversity, teenagers can become conservation advocates, influencing current and future generations.

The importance of integrating biodiversity education into the curriculum cannot be overstated. Schools play a pivotal role in shaping teenagers' attitudes toward the environment. Practical field trips, interactive learning modules, and engaging classroom discussions can provide a holistic understanding of biodiversity. These experiences enhance scientific knowledge and instil a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of all living organisms.

Therefore, the main objective of the presented research is to give an insight into the attitude of Hungarian teenagers toward biodiversity and reveal if participation in a national sustainability education program correlates with more positive attitudes toward biodiversity.

This paper revisits the scholarly debate about Sustainability Competencences (SCs) concerning graduate employability from a Kenyan Perspective. UN Policy documents state that Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) is instrumental in realising Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SD) by producing competent graduates who become future leaders, thinkers, and decision-makers able to solve complex issues (IAU, 2012). Moreover, sustainability competencies (SCs) are expected to align with transitions to a green economy (GE) contributing to millions of new jobs (UNECE, 2012; ILO, 2022). While 71 million youth were unemployed globally in 2016, in 2023 out of 192 million overall global unemployment (UN, 2023) 13.3% were youth (ILO, 2024). It is estimated that GE could account for 100 million new jobs by 2030, which requires specific skills and training (ILO, 2022). Although Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is assumed to foster employability values, skills, and practices, necessary for green transitions, only a fraction of this potential is being tapped (Nishimura M. and Rowe, D. 2021; ILO, 2022). Researchers have argued that education ought to work towards achieving a sustainable world and acknowledge that students’ SCs are correlated to their employability competencies (Gora et al., 2019) to create sustainable societies (Stables & Scott, 2002). Therefore, authors have argued for mainstreaming ESD into all university curricula (Rieckmann, 2012; Mochizuki & Fadeeva, 2010). Others, however, have criticised a narrow, instrumental focus on facilitating competence development (Van Poeck & Vandenabeele, 2012; Deleye et al., 2019; Vare, 2022) and the acquisition of SCs for employability (Weinert, 2001) as it disregards transformational and emancipatory aspects of education (Wals 2011, 2015; de Haan, 2006).

We revisit the debate about SCs and employability by discussing the contextual relevance (Vare et al. 2022) of the arguments used and exploring the case of Kenya. While, in the global North, instrumental approaches to education and ESD are often criticised, Mbithi et al. (2021) posit that Africa's needs are unique compared to developed economies and therefore argue for the acquisition of skills that are relevant to the emerging economies while paying attention to SD. This position is confirmed by Lotz-Sisitka and Raven (2009) in the light of post-apartheid South Africa. Also, Kenyan universities see ESD integration as an opportunity to enhance employability aligned with SDG 4 on Quality Education and SDG 8 on Decent Work for graduates (UNESCO, 2016). Kenya’s ESD strategy is guided by three strategic objectives: Enhance the role of education and learning for equitable, efficient, and sustainable utilization of the country’s resources; promote quality education through diverse learning and public awareness for improved quality of life and productive livelihoods; and promote teaching and learning that inculcates appropriate values, behaviours, and lifestyles for good governance and sustainability (Imbuga, 2010). Nyatuka (2020) argues that SCs should be fully integrated into the newly introduced competency-based curriculum (CBC) in Kenya.

It is problematic that scientific literature on sustainability in higher education, including on SCs which can be considered a game changer in the employability of graduates, is dominated by contributions from the global North with less knowledge about the African, Asian, and Latin-American contexts (Adomßent et al., 2013). With this contribution, we aim to respond to the need to conduct more research in underrepresented regions.