Green Horizons: Leading the Way in Environmental Service Learning

The Green Horizons project aimed to empower educators with the skills and tools needed to integrate sustainability into creative sector education while fostering active student engagement in clima...

The Green Horizons project aimed to empower educators with the skills and tools needed to integrate sustainability into creative sector education while fostering active student engagement in climate-related initiatives. Specifically, we managed to: 1) improve the evaluation skills of educators in sustainability within the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS), ensuring that teaching content was industry-relevant and embedded sustainable practices; 2) develop tailored Service-Based Learning (SBL) systematic approaches for both VET learners and secondary school students, enhancing the relevance, applicability, and cross-curricular integration of green topics in line with the CCS context; and 3) involve students in hands-on initiatives that generated tangible benefits for local communities, enriching their learning while fostering social responsibility. Achieving these objectives strengthened the alignment between education and industry needs, improved the employability of VET graduates, enriched secondary school curricula, and cultivated a new generation of sustainability-conscious, socially engaged young people.

The Green Horizons project implemented three complementary activities. A1 – Development of Assessment Tool for SBL initiatives (LCL lead): We designed an online tool to evaluate the impact and viability of sustainability-focused Service-Based Learning initiatives. This included focus group interviews with educators, mapping findings to GreenCompcompetencies, and creating a practical digital resource. A2 – Development of Comprehensive Handbook for Teachers (LCL lead): We produced a handbook tailored to creative industry educators, offering strategies to integrate sustainability and SBL into curricula. EduTech defined its scope and purpose, while LCL developed, tested, and refined the content with industry feedback. A3 – Launch of SBL Initiative and Validation (EduTech lead): We piloted the handbook and tool with Design-profile students, implementing real sustainability projects to enhance skills, test resources, and measure effectiveness. Each activity built on the previous one, ensuring a coherent, practice-driven approach.

A1 Development of Assessment Tool for SBL initiatives: We produced two PDF reports with findings from focus-group interviews in Luxembourg and Bulgaria, the analytical report "Green Insight: Harmonizing Educational Practices with GreenComp Competencies", and an online questionnaire-based Assessment Tool with multiple sections to evaluate SBL initiatives against GreenComp. A2 Development of Comprehensive Handbook for Teachers: We created "Guiding Lights" (PDF), defining the purpose and scope of the handbook; "Sustainable Learning Journeys" (PDF), a complete guide to integrating climate change education via SBL with strategies, case studies, and assessment methods; and "EcoHarmonize", an industry testing methodology with industry feedback. A3 Launch of SBL Initiative and Validation: Outputs included the Methodology for Launch & Validation (PDF), validation reports for both the Assessment Tool and the Handbook with educator feedback, fine-tuning of both resources, and translations into French and Bulgarian. An Open Public Event in Sofia was conducted to present achievements and engage stakeholders. All results were published on the WCAG-compliant project website: https://greenhorizons-erasmus.com/