Ángel Olider Rojas Vistorte, professor at the European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO), part of the network of universities with which FUNIBER collaborates, will participate on June 10 in Münster (Germany) in the kick-off meeting of the Erasmus+ project RISE UP – Resilience, Innovation, and University Student Empowerment through reflective Climate Education and Action (2024-2027) on climate education.
The project, led by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEUU) of Germany, also involves the following European institutions: European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO), SYNTHESIS Center for Research and Education of Cyprus, People of 2050 of Denmark, The Vision Works of Germany and the Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej W Krakowie of Poland. The Iberoamerican University Foundation, (FUNIBER) will collaborate as an associated partner.
Young adults are increasingly exposed to complex information about climate change, leading to a range of challenging emotions, such as fear, anger, helplessness, or guilt, collectively known as “climate anxiety” or “climate distress.” While climate stress affects people of all ages, studies indicate a greater impact on young adults. Mental health professionals warn that university educators lack the preparation needed to emotionally guide students through the complexities of the climate crisis. In addition, climate education in Europe focuses predominantly on knowledge acquisition, neglecting the crucial aspect of mental health.
A notable gap lies in transformative approaches that integrate internal and external transformations while building resilience to the effects of climate change. There is an urgent need for educators to improve their skills to enhance, transform, and deepen climate education in university settings. This requires complementing traditional technical skills with interpersonal skills, such as emotional intelligence, and fostering environmental competencies to empower students as effective agents of change.
The RISE UP project seeks to support Higher Education professionals in developing these transformative skills by providing practical tools and resources directly applicable to teaching. In this way, educators at all levels will gain the capacity to address the twin challenges of transformative climate action and climate anxiety. The project will adapt the GreenComp framework (European Commission, 2022) for young adult university education into an “Educational Framework for Transformative Climate Resilience (GreenComp) and a toolkit for educators” through a transdisciplinary approach that incorporates design thinking methods, eco psychology, traditional ecological knowledge and psychological strategies.
FUNIBER has previous experience in similar projects. It is currently co-participating in the START-DSP project. The main objective of the project is to improve entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions. It focuses on digital, sustainable and ethical business practices.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or NA DAAD. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. RISE UP – Resilience, Innovation, and University Student Empowerment through reflective Climate Education and Action (Nr. 2024-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000246800)