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The project Specific Learning Disorder no more! (LEAD!) is well underway, ready to launch the pilot program.   With training materials in English, Romanian and Italian, the pilot testing will take place in Italy and Romania. The process of reviewing educational resources will be conducted both internally and externally. The internal pilot test leader, IC2 Policoro (“ ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO2 “GIOVANNI PAOLO II “), will carry out, through March-April 2022, a pilot test within the consortium where at least 2 people from each project partner, who were not directly involved in the development of the training material, will participate in testing the functionality of the platform. The piloting with Schools (external pilots) will be implemented through a Challenge Jam , where pupils, schools, and associated partners will be invited to the testing phase of the project’s training material. The Challenge Jam is characterised by a series of events organised in the classrooms where students with and without SLD (Specific Learning Disorders), under the guidance of their teachers, will have to solve a problem related to a challenge that a young SLD faces every day at school*. This methodology allows an effective comparison of experiences between different realities, without pushing for competition. Through May-June 2022, each partner will be responsible for involving 5 classes (of 20 people) for a total of 500 people. The pilot program seeks to engage the entire classroom, thus gaining the transversal function of raising awareness on SLD. Through implementing this pilot program, not only do we aim to increase standards of education for those with SLDs, we are also committed to promoting diversity and greater social inclusion. This avoids separating classes and accentuating the feeling of “diversity” experienced by children with SLD,The pilot test will also serve the classmates of students with SLD by raising awareness on the topic and allowing students to step into “the shoes” of a child with SLD, thus increasing empathy and involvement. All the feedback that the partners will receive during the pilot phases will be analysed and then updated in the project platform . The LEAD! Project partners will meet in Iasi (Romania) this 29th and 30th of March to discuss the next steps: the train the trainers programme, as well as the #MySkills platform design. * More specifically, a ‘jam’ can be understood as team-based, loosely structured exercises conducted in a face-to-face environment designed to bring out participants’ creativity for developing innovative solutions to complex problems (Morrison, 2009). Morrison, K (2009). Outcomes Report: CCi Mainstreaming and RHD Jams. Cultural Science Journal, 2 (1).

LLLP is a partner in the two-year Erasmus+ KA3 Social Inclusion project “ INSCOOL II ” , which aims to significantly increase the knowledge and skills of school leaders, teachers and student teachers to work inclusively with the increasing range of diverse learners in their schools. The project will scale up the good practices established in the methodology of the Inclusive Schools I project . The key objectives of the project include on the one hand the promotion of change in school culture : to enable people to live, work and learn together equitably and peacefully, without fear of discrimination or bullying. On the other hand: to deepen educators’ knowledge and understanding of inclusive education policy, practice and culture and to influence policy change at school at local, regional and national levels . This is where the work of the Lifelong Learning Platform will be focused! To achieve this very ambitious goal, the partnership has kicked off the establishment of local advocacy groups with school leaders, teachers, in-training teachers, students, parents and the wider school community. The expectation for these advocacy groups is to conduct meetings and events throughout the year in order to discuss the situation of inclusive education in their regions and countries, as well as to identify possible solutions to close the inclusion gaps in schools and prepare policy recommendations directed towards their policy makers at local, regional and national levels.   Project partners in Italy, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Hungary and the UK are currently in the process of recruiting relevant stakeholders to take part in the local advocacy groups.   Keep an eye on the project channels on Facebook and the project’s website for upcoming activities of the local advocacy groups.   If your organisation is located in any of these countries and are interested in joining the local advocacy groups, you can contact us at veronica.arduino@lllplatform.eu

The European Union has put forward some serious ambitions in the field of education and training, particularly with regard to upskilling and reskilling the European adult population for the Twin Transitions, aiming to achieve a target of 60% of adults in education or training by 2030 (European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan). Two major tools are being proposed to achieve this endeavour: individual learning accounts,and micro-credentials. Following a two year process of consultations with experts, stakeholders and Member States, on 10 December the European Commission published its Proposals for Council Recommendations on Individual Learning Accounts and for a European Approach to Micro-credentials.   The Lifelong Learning Platform – European Civil Society for Education – welcomes the European ambition to foster lifelong learning through these two new initiatives that can pave the way to broadening access to learning opportunities for all . The synergies between the two proposals are numerous and promising, however, these will depend on their implementation at national and institutional level.  Read our full reaction here

In the aftermath of the pandemic, Europe is facing unprecedented and pressing challenges. With the Conference on the Future of Europe close to the final stages of its work to address these challenges, the 2022 hybrid edition of Civil Society Days will explore how Europe can become more resilient through a just transition; one that will benefit people and the environment and, at the same time, increase European prosperity. Join online the discussions with our distinguished speakers, who will be sharing their views on the challenges of a fit-for-future economy that creates shared prosperity, and take part in our seven workshops to explore the key role of civil society in this endeavour. Your participation and input are most welcome! Please find the draft agenda here. Register here by 10 March. Take a minute to watch our teaser video here 📽️ and feel free to share this invitation with your networks! Follow the EESC Liaison Group on Twitter. #CivSocDays For any questions related to the event, please contact Ms Karen Serafini by e-mail or by telephone (+32(0)2 546 94 45). Should you wish to be informed about further civil society events, please click here.

The importance of public investment in education across the lifecycle, and a particular focus on lifelong learning cannot be underestimated. The latest OECD Skills Outlook 2021 (OECD, 2021) backs this up – pointing out that lifelong learning is key if individuals are to succeed in labour markets and societies shaped by trends including environmental changes and digitalisation, as well as sudden shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic. The European Commission’s proposal to introduce individual learning accounts was conceived out of an urgent need to broaden access to adult learning opportunities. Notwithstanding this need, it remains the case that the cost of courses, loss of income due to taking time off work to train, and lack of awareness of opportunities all perform as difficult barriers across the EU. Cedefop’s latest estimates provide further impetus to the cause, suggesting that 46% of the adult population in the EU-28 area will need to engage with lifelong learning in the coming years. As it stands, however, only 11.1% of adults benefit from adult learning, meaning that the EU failed to reach its target of 15%. If we are to close this evident gap between reality and aspiration It is essential that lifelong learning and skills development is properly resourced and supported.   Investing in lifelong learning, however, does not merely entail allocating funds towards improving employability. While this is no doubt important, particularly for increasing lifelong learning participation rates for adults with lower skills who are still less likely to avail of education and training opportunities, it is equally important to consider lifelong learning in a broader sense. Moreover, it is short-sighted to assume that the ability to ‘learn to learn’ is not an essential requirement for furthering skills and competencies throughout life – which subsequently improves employment prospects regardless. Investing in lifelong learning demands a recognition of personal needs and aspirations and not solely a reflection of job demand on the labour market.   A more holistic idea of lifelong learning takes into account all education and training during a lifetime, including both initial education and training and adult learning. It is, in this sense, ‘lifelong’ and ‘lifewide’, covering learning in institutions, families, communities and workplaces. It is also considered ‘life-deep’, assuming the ongoing and active assimilation and mobilisation of knowledge.   This notion of lifelong learning imagines a sort of ‘universitisation’ of life, wherein learning can occur selectively and broadly at all times. It is as much concerned with building the capacity of people to actively engage and construct meaning as it is with operating as an employment tool fit for the 21st century.   Notwithstanding the popular support for incorporating lifelong learning strategies and initiatives; the crux of the matter remains that funding tends to be relatively low across the EU for lifelong learning. Only around 0.1 to 0.2% of GDP accounts for public expenditure on adult education (EESC 2020 here ) and lifelong learning strategies tend to be severely underfunded. If we are to provide lifelong learning for all, an increased level of financial support is required in conjunction with institutional paradigm shifts.   It goes without saying that achieving good educational outcomes requires appropriate spending.For one, increasing public revenues, and allocating more of these additional revenues to lifelong learning is necessary. For two, strengthening social protection measures that improve access to lifelong learning opportunities for all would also make strides towards realising lifelong learning at any point in time as an entitlement for all. The point is simple: if we are to realise current lifelong learning aspirations and achieve EU targets, sufficient and continuous resources and support are required. The value of lifelong learning cannot be understated, and neither can the funding.

In 2020, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the abrupt closure of societies and education institutions, required teachers and lecturers to quickly transfer teaching materials and methodologies from classroom-based to online formats. Due to short timeframe, many higher education lecturers were forced to focus on delivering online teaching in a way that suited the majority of their students, with little knowledge on the accessibility features or tools available and how to use them. Since then, the demand for more inclusive and accessible online teaching has grown and, as a result, higher education institutions are being required to provide the support and resources which enable their educators to deliver accessible online teaching. Under these circumstances the Inclusive University Digital Education (InclUDE) project has conducted a study on the state of play on the level of awareness lecturers, higher education professionals and university students have of accessibility tools for online learning. Based on data collected via a survey of 170 higher education professionals, lecturers, students and social service providers between October and November 2021, the study report has highlighted a number of key trends on the use of accessibility tools in universities in Austria, France, the UK and wider Europe. Encouragingly, the report found that many lecturers and students are already using digital tools to make their learning resources and presentations more accessible generally . However, of those surveyed, only 40% of respondents were using digital accessibility tools to promote the accessibility of online learning teaching. Those who reported not using digital tools claimed that they did not do so because they did not know enough about them , suggesting that HEI professionals and students require further training on these tools . Not being able to find digital accessibility tools, was cited as a second key barriers preventing the use of such tools in higher education institutions. To read the study click here. To find out more about the project, and its deliverables, visit the project webpage here.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will roll out its annual Civil Society Days in March 2022. As in previous years, this flagship civil society conference exhibits a space for citizens, organised civil society and European institutions to engage in an inclusive process with an eye on addressing the major societal challenges the EU currently faces in shaping its future.   The Civil Society Days event is a symbol of the cooperation between the EESC and the members of the EESC Liaison Group representing European civil society organisations and networks. LLLP, as a member of this Liaison Group, has been working in tandem with a number of other civil society organisations to co-construct an event that is rooted in and mindful of the challenges the EU currently faces. One particularly burning challenge revolves around how to foster an economy that works for people and the planet in unison.   Under the overarching topic of The EU as a driver of shared prosperity – civil society for an economy that works for people and the planet , participants of the event will explore how to ensure that the transition to a more sustainable economy and planet coincides with and promotes the EU’s fundamental rights and principles: solidarity, human rights, democracy, social justice and equality. Through this event it is hoped that the value of genuine dialogue between the Committee and European civil society organisations and networks can be showcased and strengthened.   The event will hold eight interactive workshops in total, covering a number of aspects pertaining to the overarching topic noted above. LLLP, alongside The European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) and the European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB), has co-formulated a workshop titled Upskilling opportunities for all . In line with the theme of shared prosperity, this workshop will delve into the social justice dimension of upskilling, acknowledging that for many, upskilling remains firmly out of reach due to financial constraints, time-poverty, and the foregone wages related to pursuing education and/or training. The rise of work precarity and in-work poverty add further fuel to the fire – with more and more workers having little control over their time; let alone the opportunity to pursue learning opportunities. How can upskilling sensitise itself to the needs of those marginalised – taking into account the barriers noted above? What shape and form might an – equity proof – conception of upskilling take? And how can this be further realised? Upskilling opportunities for all will take place on the 15 March from 14.00 – 16.00 CET

The meeting of the Lifelong Learning Interest Group on 1 December 2021, taking place online and chaired by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, was held under the theme “Funding Education for Wellbeing”. Well-being in adult learning is in the New European Agenda for Adult Learning Ema Perme, representative of the Slovenian Presidency, highlighted the recent adoption of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning as one of the most important achievements of the Slovenian Presidency. “Well-being will be one of the cornerstones in the work on adult education in the next decade.” She stressed that adult education in Europe is still very fragmented, but that it nevertheless has a central role in addressing megatrends such as demographic change, digitalisation and climate change. “We need to focus on the quality of adult education, raising awareness among all stakeholders and promoting inclusion and equal opportunities,” said Ms Perme. ‘Whole-government approach’ needed to boost investment into learning systems Dr Borhene Chakroun, Director for Lifelong Learning policies at UNESCO, said that citizens are facing a number of major transitions and uncertainties related to societal aspects. These include not only the green and digital transitions, but also demographic and economic changes, some of which are related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. “ If we look at how education systems around the world are responding, we find that the resources allocated to education are less than 3% of GDP . We need a ‘whole-government approach’. The stimulus packages offer an opportunity to invest in education, let’s make sure that this is in line with the Paris Declaration . The Declaration on “A Global Call for Investing in the Futures of Education” aims to sustainably strengthen the financing of education systems to meet the challenges of the present and the future. “For well-being in and through education, we need to focus on three things: mobilisation of resources, equitable use of resources, and efficiency of use,” pointed out Dr Chakroun. Learning for well-being promotes public health Dorota Sienkiewicz looked at the debate from a public health perspective. Euro Health Net had analysed the national recovery and resilience plans and found that while biomedical research and disease management had taken centre stage in these funds, they did not pay sufficient attention to resilience aspects, such as using community care, primary care, etc. “Disease prevention still plays a minor role in public funding. There would be a lot of potential here, for example in digital health literacy, mental health literacy and social skills” and “ this requires working across sectors .” MEP Sirpa Pietikainen stressed that we put too much emphasis on the individual and not enough on society. “We should really focus on people when we think about what causes health inequalities.” Focusing on technology and pharmaceutical solutions in the current crisis does not meet people’s needs, and “ we need lifelong learning that promotes equity, sustainability and social well-being .” Learning is primarily a social-relational enterprise The results of the latest Survey on Social and Emotional Skills go in the same direction and highlight that the mindset we develop is the best predictor of learning success. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, said that “Learning is not a transactional enterprise, but primarily a social-relational one. The decline in social and emotional skills between 10- and 15-year-olds found in the survey is a sign that education systems are robbing students of their motivation to learn, creativity and curiosity. This gap widens with age”. It is also clear that art activities can enhance students’ curiosity and creativity, as well as their well-being and that positive interactions lead to better outcomes. Interestingly, the pressure placed on students by learning environments, teachers or parents is not the only predictor of student well-being. On the contrary, we can find high levels of well-being among students in highly competitive learning environments. It is the quality of relationships within the school that determines well-being . “The distinction between curricular and extra-curricular activities is a thing of the past”. Integrating different learning spaces is a good solution, especially in a situation where we see a trend towards commodification of education. In recent years, we have increasingly narrowed teaching and taken away many tasks from teachers that actually make teaching fulfilling. We need to return to a ‘whole of society approach’ to education. Demand for quality of learning and targeted funding The speakers agreed that several factors are needed to promote well-being in lifelong learning. Stable funding seems a necessity in this scenario, especially when it comes to education for vulnerable groups and non-formal adult learning in particular. Public funds need to be focused on those most in need of developing their skills and abilities. On this topic, civil society organisations are encouraged to take lifelong learning to where people are: participation in lifelong learning tend to increase where this happens. “If we don’t learn, we don’t exist.” Including all in European lifelong learning MEP Radka Maxová closed the debate with a plea for better access to education, but also for stronger exchange and networking at European level on good practices. “ Everyone regardless of socioeconomic background should be provided with good quality education . For this, we need collaboration and open dialogue at the EU level. The EU should foster the exchange of good practices as well as promote investment in technologies.” Susana Oliveira, Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform, concluded the session highlighting that learners should be seen as agents of change. We need to address the fragmentation of lifelong learning in Europe while embracing the diversity of the lifelong learning landscape. “ Let’s use the momentum created by the launch of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning and make sense of the tools we already have .” Initiated by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and by the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) together with a number of MEPs, the European Parliament’s Interest Group on Lifelong Learning brings together civil society representatives and MEPs to discuss key issues connected to lifelong learning with strong emphasis on adult education. Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) serves as the Chair of the Interest Group, supported by Vice-Chair Dace Melbarde (ECR, Latvia).

The meeting of the Lifelong Learning Interest Group on 1 December 2021, taking place online and chaired by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, was held under the theme “Funding Education for Wellbeing”. Well-being in adult learning is in the New European Agenda for Adult Learning Ema Perme, representative of the Slovenian Presidency, highlighted the recent adoption of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning as one of the most important achievements of the Slovenian Presidency. “Well-being will be one of the cornerstones in the work on adult education in the next decade.” She stressed that adult education in Europe is still very fragmented, but that it nevertheless has a central role in addressing megatrends such as demographic change, digitalisation and climate change. “We need to focus on the quality of adult education, raising awareness among all stakeholders and promoting inclusion and equal opportunities,” said Ms Perme. ‘Whole-government approach’ needed to boost investment into learning systems Dr Borhene Chakroun, Director for Lifelong Learning policies at UNESCO, said that citizens are facing a number of major transitions and uncertainties related to societal aspects. These include not only the green and digital transitions, but also demographic and economic changes, some of which are related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. “If we look at how education systems around the world are responding, we find that the resources allocated to education are less than 3% of GDP. We need a ‘whole-government approach’. The stimulus packages offer an opportunity to invest in education, let’s make sure that this is in line with the Paris Declaration. The Declaration on “A Global Call for Investing in the Futures of Education” aims to sustainably strengthen the financing of education systems to meet the challenges of the present and the future. “For well-being in and through education, we need to focus on three things: mobilisation of resources, equitable use of resources, and efficiency of use,” pointed out Dr Chakroun. Learning for well-being promotes public health Dorota Sienkiewicz looked at the debate from a public health perspective. Euro Health Net had analysed the national recovery and resilience plans and found that while biomedical research and disease management had taken centre stage in these funds, they did not pay sufficient attention to resilience aspects, such as using community care, primary care, etc. “Disease prevention still plays a minor role in public funding. There would be a lot of potential here, for example in digital health literacy, mental health literacy and social skills” and “this requires working across sectors.” MEP Sirpa Pietikainen stressed that we put too much emphasis on the individual and not enough on society. “We should really focus on people when we think about what causes health inequalities.” Focusing on technology and pharmaceutical solutions in the current crisis does not meet people’s needs, and “we need lifelong learning that promotes equity, sustainability and social well-being.” Learning is primarily a social-relational enterprise The results of the latest Survey on Social and Emotional Skills go in the same direction and highlight that the mindset we develop is the best predictor of learning success. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, said that “Learning is not a transactional enterprise, but primarily a social-relational one. The decline in social and emotional skills between 10- and 15-year-olds found in the survey is a sign that education systems are robbing students of their motivation to learn, creativity and curiosity. This gap widens with age”. It is also clear that art activities can enhance students’ curiosity and creativity, as well as their well-being and that positive interactions lead to better outcomes. Interestingly, the pressure placed on students by learning environments, teachers or parents is not the only predictor of student well-being. On the contrary, we can find high levels of well-being among students in highly competitive learning environments. It is the quality of relationships within the school that determines well-being. “The distinction between curricular and extra-curricular activities is a thing of the past”. Integrating different learning spaces is a good solution, especially in a situation where we see a trend towards commodification of education. In recent years, we have increasingly narrowed teaching and taken away many tasks from teachers that actually make teaching fulfilling. We need to return to a ‘whole of society approach’ to education. Demand for quality of learning and targeted funding The speakers agreed that several factors are needed to promote well-being in lifelong learning. Stable funding seems a necessity in this scenario, especially when it comes to education for vulnerable groups and non-formal adult learning in particular. Public funds need to be focused on those most in need of developing their skills and abilities. On this topic, civil society organisations are encouraged to take lifelong learning to where people are: participation in lifelong learning tend to increase where this happens. “If we don’t learn, we don’t exist.” Including all in European lifelong learning MEP Radka Maxová closed the debate with a plea for better access to education, but also for stronger exchange and networking at European level on good practices. “Everyone regardless of socioeconomic background should be provided with good quality education. For this, we need collaboration and open dialogue at the EU level. The EU should foster the exchange of good practices as well as promote investment in technologies.” Susana Oliveira, Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform, concluded the session highlighting that learners should be seen as agents of change. We need to address the fragmentation of lifelong learning in Europe while embracing the diversity of the lifelong learning landscape. “Let’s use the momentum created by the launch of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning and make sense of the tools we already have.” Initiated by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and by the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) together with a number of MEPs, the European Parliament’s Interest Group on Lifelong Learning brings together civil society representatives and MEPs to discuss key issues connected to lifelong learning with strong emphasis on adult education. Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) serves as the Chair of the Interest Group, supported by Vice-Chair Dace Melbarde (ECR, Latvia).

All across Europe, the drive towards privatisation and marketisation of education has gathered steam. Our education systems are brashly depicted as an industry, as a source of profits, a zone of competitiveness, with countries, universities and schools ranked by performance indicators. In many instances, teachers and educators have been reduced to tools preparing learners for the labour market. It is not surprising that currently 47% of educators in the EU report quite a bit or a lot of stress at work. Under this imperative to transform education into a labour market tool, with a rhetoric of skills for jobs, wellbeing and the vital role it plays in education has taken a back seat. The need to reposition wellbeing as a fundamental tenet of education has taken on a renewed impetus in light of Covid-19, and the subsequent disruption caused. In this paper our aim is therefore two-fold. Our first intention is to call into question the naturalisation of stress and anxiety inducing assessments which have been rigorously maintained through an unyielding false narrative. This narrative follows a simple line of thought: that exposing learners to high stress inducing assessments is itself a learning process that can prepare them for the ‘real world’. Proponents of this argument often cite the inevitability of facing high-stress situations within the context of employment and how thus, learners should be prepared or even ‘build endurance’ by undergoing high-pressure assessments—thereby building a workforce that is resilient to stress. Such a position is based more on faith than fact and contrary to what an abundance of empirical evidence has shown time and time again: stress-inducing forms of assessment are detrimental to learning—and can embed in learners a negative perception towards educational environments that is difficult to reverse.   Our second intention is to provide a way forward. To demonstrate that assessment can align more harmoniously with wellbeing, that the two need not be in conflict—and that practical solutions exist. To this end, we will not merely provide a critique of traditional assessment practices, but also an outline of what the intertwining of assessment and wellbeing entails in practical terms. In asserting the centrality of practical solutions, we advance a tangible piece of work that can add to the policy debate on rethinking assessments in general and introducing learner’s wellbeing at the centre of our policies. This position paper is the Lifelong Learning Platform’s contribution to furthering the case for a more holistic conception of assessments, one that is based on learners’ and societal needs and that is not detrimental to wellbeing but conducive to it .   Check out our recommendations here

Education for sustainability In the last few months, the role of education and training as a crucial tool to fight climate change has been widely recognised . For the first time, education ministers took part in the COP26 , a move that had been long overdue and which should stay and permeate the agenda of future COP assemblies. Education and lifelong learning are key enablers for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the transformation of our societies. This goes beyond education and training as a central instrument to achieve specific targets and goals—education and training when improved on its own terms and as an end in itself can successfully contribute to sustainable development across all dimensions at once .   Taking all of this into consideration, it is a very positive signal that the EU institutions and member states have started key initiatives to to take up this topic together. The LLLPlatform welcomes the commitment made by Education ministers regarding changes in curricula , but we should not forget that that education for sustainability is different from education about sustainability. This means that the changes need to go beyond adding sustainability concepts towards building the curricula based on sustainability. The LLLPlatform welcomes that the EU recognises this importance and is working towards establishing a common language to steer the exchanges, projects and policies around education for sustainability through the upcoming Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability and the European Sustainability Competence Framework (Greencomp).   Education as sustainability Education is not just key to achieve the SDGs or a great tool to fight climate change. Improving education is in itself a crucial work that must be undertaken by the plethora of stakeholders involved directly and indirectly in lifelong learning: from the formal, non-formal and informal learning sectors. In the spirit of cross sector cooperation, LLLPlatfom welcomes the establishment of the Education for Climate Coalition, and the Education for Climate day, and expects for it to be a truly button-up, inclusive and forward-looking platform.   We also hope that this Coalition can take the conversation beyond education as a means to fight climate change and towards making our education systems sustainable themselves. Both are sides of the same coin and should be carried out in parallel since each side feeds on each other for better or for worse. If we don’t work to improve education systems, climate change or environmental education will be taught by using the same outdated patterns and pedagogies that have shaped the current un-sustainable system in which we are living. Similarly, if innovative practices used in climate or environmental education (i.e. experiential learning, nature as co-teacher, among others) do not permeate education systems, we risk missing the opportunity for a necessary paradigm shift.   Take a chance for education! Therefore, a two pronged strategy is needed. While the call for mainstreaming climate change education and environmental education is welcomed. This change needs to be done in parallel with a reevaluation of education systems in order to build resilient and sustainable ones where learners’ needs are at the center , teachers are supported and well remunerated, innovative pedagogies are implemented, flexible pathways for learning are the norm and lifelong learning a reality for all. Let’s not waste the opportunity and take a chance for education: appropriate funding shall be given to unlock the full potential of education for sustainability across all learning sectors . Similarly, attention should be given to building closer and more operational synergies between different funding programmes and instruments so that innovation in learning is not lost to siloed-thinking and bureaucracy . Finally, education and training institutions from all sectors supported and represented by community, civil society and non-profit organisations are one of the main actors to help people understand and take action on sustainability . We see in the various initiatives from the Commission that education’s multiplier effect has been acknowledged , but we believe it should be further exploited. The EU institutions have a key role to play in ensuring policy coherence and building synergies across EU policies and flagship programmes, namely, the European Green Deal, HorizonEurope, LIFE, Erasmus+, the European Skills Agenda,, Digital Education Action Plan, CAP and climate change policies. In order for policy coherence and implementation to be successful, EU policy should aim at involving all stakeholders alike in taking action, from supporting individuals, communities and organisations with little agency as well as ensuring that other actors with higher agency do not only complete a “tick the box” exercise.   The LLLPlatform solidifies its commitment to support the meaningful participation of civil society organisations in the different policy processes around education for sustainability. A starting point? The valuable contribution that learning in all its forms, supported by holistic and long-term policies, can make to achieving all SDGs. Read LLLP’s submission for the Open Public Consultation on Education for Environmental Sustainability

During the Lifelong Learning Platform General Assembly on 23-24 September 2021, the members voted in favour of welcoming a new member to the LLLP family: Diesis Network.   Diesis is one of the widest EU networks specialised in supporting social economy and social enterprise development covering 20 countries through major national federations and national support networks associating more than 90,000 organisations and 1.2 million workers. It does so through the implementation of knowledge-based activities, such as training, project design, consultancy and advisory services, technical assistance and research. Among their members, Diesis Network also represents VET providers, consortia in the fields of education, and other education providers promoting solidarity and sustainability in Europe through formal and non-formal education. The social economy is present across all sectors and employs 13.6 million people and accounts for 8% of the EU’s GDP. It covers a diversity of enterprises and organisations like cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, social enterprises among other forms specific to each country. The defining threads running through the social economy are the shared values and features which unite them, for instance, they put people over profits, they are governed democratically, and they reinvest most profits. Why did Diesis Network join LLLP? Because one of the key challenges for the social economy resides in education! Awareness and knowledge of the social economy and how it differs in both principle and practice to other strands of the economy are, for the most part, not widely unpacked in the field of education. From our birth, we are used to learning about employers being for-profit companies or the public sector but that puts a shadow on a large employment sector which is private by nature but whose goals are of collective interests, for the common good.   Economic studies and business schools usually disregard alternative economic forms and the curriculum shows little integration of social economy. In effect, this renders the very idea of economy as something unequivocal – and not open to contestation. Notwithstanding this, the 2008 economic crisis triggered a broad questioning of the flaws inherent to the current economic model, sparking a renewed interest for the sector, from young people mostly but not only – educational and learning settings should align with this. Policy-makers are also beginning to pay more attention. The Social Economy Action Plan by the new commissioner to be ready by the end of the year provides one example. Looking further, social entrepreneurship has become more popular and it requires new competences e.g. how to measure social impact – this is a topic that LLLP is increasingly interested in and would like to explore further in collaboration with Diesis Network.   Indeed, Diesis is also a network of education and training providers whose activities include training, exchange of good practices, and mutual learning in the EU. Their work on social inclusion working with gender issues, migrants, and disadvantaged youth through education is aligned with the vision of LLLP on inclusive and quality education for all and voices for a more Social Europe. LLLP is very happy to welcome Diesis Network and look forward to working closely together.   LLLP is very happy to welcome DIESIS and look forward to working closely together. “We believe in building a learning culture, which removes competition and instead creates a space to collaborate within the community. This is what LLLP represents for us. Joining the LLLP means having a place where we can discuss and exchange experiences and competences with other actors in the educational field. Sharing knowledge is a common growth and the key for building a sustainable future for us all.”