The Tale project responds to the urgent need to transform into a more climate-friendly and sustainable society. Tale project explores solutions to this challenge by using transformative learning approaches.
In the Tale Erasmus+ project, adult education organisations engage with learners, communities, grassroots initiatives such as social movements and green activists to provide new insights on transformative learning.
The partners will run innovation groups using transformative learning approaches in cooperation with social movements and/or green activists. The goal is to examine how we can learn from each other to further green transition in organisations and communities. In addition, the project consortium utilises peer learning, organises events, and publishes recommendations on how adult education can contribute to green transition.
As a result, the Tale project will help adult learning and education organisations to find new ways to work with learners and their surrounding communities.
The project will produce knowledge, events, tools, experiences, methods and recommendations on how to use transformative learning to further green transition and help upscale the innovative practices of the grassroots initiatives.
Objectives
Provide new insights in how to further sustainability and green transition in collaboration between ALE institutions and communities
Establish cooperation between ALE institutions and grassroots initiatives working in the field of green transition /sustainability
Upscale transformative learning methods for green transition, thus contributing to capacity building both in the ALE sector and among the grassroots initiatives
Provide recommendations for successful transformative ALE and green transition
Develop a strong partnership to further the green transition of the ALE sector
Target groups
Main target groups
Staff of the participating organisations, including the leadership
Citizens active at grassroots initiatives taking part in the innovation process
Adult learners
Adult education institutions in the partner countries
Climate NGO’s
Secondary target groups
European adult learning and education sector
Education and training organisations and institutions of other sectors
Policymakers on national, European and international levels
Other stakeholders (NGOs from other sectors, regional networks etc)
Policy recommendations
Based on the experiences gathered in the project, the partnership has compiled policy recommendations to foster successful cooperation between adult education organisations and green grassroots initiatives. These recommendations target policy makers and adult education providers.
Tale toolkit compiles the main results and outputs of the project, including:
- Descriptions of pilots conducted in Finland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Greece
- Key lessons learned during the project
- Methods we used
- Published articles and podcasts
- Descriptions of grassroots movements we collaborated with
In this podcast, we delve into innovative educational practices for promoting green transition. Our three speakers share their expertise, while the moderator guides the discussion on how these practices can be implemented in adult education. The podcast is based on a webinar organised by the Tale Erasmus+ project on 27.2.2024. Published as part of the Beyond Learning podcast by the European Association for the Education of Adults.
Moderator:Aleksandra Kozyra, EAEA Speakers: Agnieszka Borek, NGO Trainers’ Association (sTOP), Poland Chris Evans, Himalayan Permaculture Centre, UK Grigoris Protsonis , A.S.T.O, Greece
Podcast: Community-Led Initiatives and the Green Transition
In this podcast, we explore the inspiring work of grassroots initiatives actively contributing to the green transition. We hear from representatives of these initiatives, learning how they involve citizens in their activities and what are their successes and challenges. We also discuss the informal learning experiences the grassroots initiatives are facilitating, and what adult education organisations could learn from them. The podcast is based on a webinar organised by the Tale Erasmus+ project on 21.3.2024. Published as part of the Beyond Learning podcast by the European Association for the Education of Adults.
Moderator: Laura Kaestele, ECOLISE, European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability
Speakers: Jonne Nurmela, Dodo, Finland Mara Angelidou, InCommOn, Greece
Podcast: Policy and Research: Driving Green Change
Our final webinar explores the role of policy and research in driving transformative learning and sustainable change. Expert speakers from the green movement and adult education organisations discuss how policy and research initiatives can support and amplify the impact of transformative learning practices. The podcast is based on a webinar organised by the Tale Erasmus+ project on 9.4.2024. Published as part of the Beyond Learning podcast by the European Association for the Education of Adults.
Moderator: Davide Muraro, European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
Speakers: Ana Margarida Esteves, CEI-Iscte Centre for International Studies, Portugal Simone Schirru, RREUSE – international network for social enterprises active in the circular economy, Belgium
When grassroots groups and educational organisations work together, they create important benefits for a greener future. Article on EPALE.
Green Transition and Adult Education
An EPALE article about collaboration between VHS Vienna and MILA, a collaborative supermarket
Transformative learning through art therapy
A workshop organised in Pécs, Hungary showed: gardening and art therapy can be combined successfully to foster learning about sustainable lifestyles. Article on EPALE.
Building Collective Consciousness for a Greener Future
The virtual workshop on March 29, 2024, organised by the Hellenic Open University (HOU), was instrumental in formulating ideas for green transition. Article on EPALE.
Transformative learning with grassroots organizations - the experience of a workshop in a community garden
As part of the project, the Swiss Association for Continuing Education SVEB tested transformative learning approaches in cooperation with a grassroots organization and a continuing education provider. Article on EPALE.
The three-part webinar series showcases innovative practices, expert insights, and fosters discussions on how different stakeholders can work together for a more sustainable future.
The topics transformative learning, green transition, and grassroots initiatives are central in the project, so at the start of the project the partners defined these terms. The discussion on the definitions was led by Hellenic Open University and the result was published in spring 2023.
During the spring the partners also actively sourced for green grassroots initiatives in their local areas in Finland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Switzerland. In connection with the partner meeting in Vienna, ECOLISE and VHS Vienna organised a workshop on transformative learning methods in June 2023 to prepare the partners to the co-creation process with the chosen grassroots initiatives.
During autumn 2023 – spring 2024, the national-level partners launched so called innovation groups in cooperation with grassroots initiatives operating in their local area. The aim of the innovation groups is to establish cross-sectoral cooperation and pilot transformative learning together with people active in the grassroots initiatives. The innovation groups are an open, emergent, and collaborative process involving green grassroots movements, adult education organisations and learners. Each innovation group is free to co-design what they want in line with the project’s goal to foster transformative learning experiences and contribute to sustainability in local communities.
The partners met twice in 2023: In February in Pécs, Hungary, and in June in Vienna, Austria.
2024
In spring 2024, the project organised a three-part webinar series called “Green Transition Dialogues” to showcase innovative practices, provide expert insights, and foster discussions on how different stakeholders can work together for a more sustainable future.
By autumn 2024, the innovation groups were completed. The results have been analysed using a reflection template developed for the purpose.
The partnership has also published policy recommendations (see below) and a virtual toolkit compiling the main results of the project. Draft version of the toolkit was published in October 2024 and the toolkit will be completed in November.
The partnership organised a virtual partner meeting in January 2024, and another meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2024.
Partners
The project consortium consists of eight partners and two associate partners:
Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation (Finland, coordinator)
