Steps Forward Education Festival – New Approaches to ESD in the Carpathians and Beyond
12 – 14 November 2024 | Košice, Slovakia
In today’s world, we face significant challenges that require an ever-evolving understanding of human values, morality, and the interconnectedness of life on Earth. The complexity of our environment, coupled with the uncertainty that change brings, demands that we adapt, learn, and grow in meaningful ways. This is especially crucial when considering the future we are shaping for our children.
The Steps Forward educational festival delved into these themes, offering participants valuable insights on how to navigate the challenges of sustainability and live harmoniously with the environment. With keynote speeches from thought leaders on the frontlines of these issues, attendees grasped how to make Earth a better place for all living beings. In addition to these enriching talks, practical workshops and interactive activities helped participants explore actionable educational practices.
A key focus of the festival was the GreenComp framework, a European sustainability competence tool designed to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to contribute to sustainability. GreenComp, which emerged from the European Green Deal, provides a roadmap for fostering sustainability through education. It consists of twelve competencies grouped into four key areas: value orientations toward sustainability, understanding global complexity, anticipating future challenges, and fostering personal, collective, and civic engagement.
Organized by the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and Špirála, a non-governmental network, the festival invites a diverse audience—ranging from environmental education professionals and university students to active members of the Carpathian Education for Sustainable Development Expert Network (CESDEN). Supported by the Open Society Foundation Bratislava, the event promises to be an enriching experience for those dedicated to sustainability education.
PRESENTATIONS
DAY 1
- Opening Remarks and Welcome – Boglárka Kurka Ivanegová, Špirála – network of environmental education providers
- Whole-school and whole-institution approaches to sustainability – Dr. Aravella Zachariou, Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth / Chair of the UNECE ESD Steering Committee
- Fostering relationship with nature and strengthening environmental values in students – Doc. PhDr. Jan Činčera, Ph.D., Masaryk University, Department of Environmental Studies
ESD and Conservation in the Carpathian Region
- Presenting the Carpathian ESD expert network – Tamara Mitrofanenko and Elena Fischer, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention
- Carpathian Wilderness – Vlado Vančura, European Wilderness Society
- A foundation for a nation- the story of Făgăraș national park – Mihai Sorea & Ioana Duica, Foundation Conservation Carpathia
Workshop
DAY 2
ESD and Heritage Interpretation
- Geography and entrepreneurship education as a key to understanding the surrounding reality – Wioletta Kilar, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
- Heritage interpretation as a tool for experiential education – Michal Medek, Czech Institute for Heritage Interpretation / Department of Environmental Studies, Masaryk University in Brno
- How do young people in the Carpathians understand their heritage? – Agnieszka Świętek & Piotr Cybul, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
- Knowing and valuing urban trees through citizen science – Natalya Voloshyn, NGO Forza
- What should teachers know and teach about large carnivores? – doc. RNDr. Marcel Uhrin, PhD., Faculty of Science, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik in Košice
- Slow travel as a means to understand the world – Štefan Szabó, SOSNA
ESD and Learning Environments
- Learning environments and the Basalt School Programme – Levente Álmos Szőcs, ELTE Doctoral School of Educational Sciences
- School Culture and pro-environmental attitudes – Daniel Sziva, ELTE Doctoral School of Psychology
ESD and Youth Participation
