Transformative Adult Learning for Green Transition (2022-2024)

Implementation time: 12/2022 - 11/2024

ihmisiä voimistelee puun ympärillä puistossa

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)

Work progress

2023

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 three terms. The discussion on the definitions was led by Hellenic Open University and the result was published in spring 2023.

Tale brochure and summary of the definitions (pdf)

Articles on EAEA website:
– Transformative learning is at the heart of a sustainable future
– Piloting co-creation and transformative learning in adult education for sustainable development

During the summer 2023, the ECOLISE and VHS Vienna organised a workshop on transformative learning methods. During autumn 2023 – spring 2024, the national-level partners launched innovation groups in cooperation with grassroots initiatives operating in their local area in Finland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Switzerland. 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 partners met twice in 2023: In February in Pécs, Hungary, and in June in Vienna, Austria.

2024

In the 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 the autumn 2024, the innovation groups will be completed, and the partners will have analysed their results. The project will publish six EPALE articles, each highlighting the work and key lessons learned from the pilots.

During the summer and autumn, the partners are organising six national multiplier events in the countries where the innovation groups took place.

In the autumn, the partnership will publish policy recommendations and a virtual toolkit compiling the main results of the project.

The final event of the project will take place on 22nd October 2024.

The partnership organised a virtual partner meeting in January 2024, and another meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2024.

Green Transition Dialogues

Tale webinar series in spring 2024

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.

Green Transition Dialogues

Adult education meets environmental activism – How unexpected partnerships foster transformative learning

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.