The CHAlleNGE global citizenship education project has entered its second year of operation. The two years of the project (01.01.2023-31.12.2024) include a series of initiatives with the aim of promoting agroecological change in the 7 regions involved and introducing middle and high school children to agroecology and environmental education, so as to stimulate the development of their sense of global ownership, awareness and active participation. The project will involve more than 4,600 students from 40 Italian secondary and high schools in environmental education workshops and visits to local farms that operate with an agroecological perspective.

During the first year, from January 1 to December 31, 2023, various activities such as the training for more than 60 environmental educators and 70 teachers who will lead workshops with schools, and the course aimed at 35 agronomists on Organic and Regenerative Agriculture. In addition, the spatial planning tables for an agroecological transition were created in the areas involved.

The year 2024 will be equally rich in initiatives. The whole year will be dedicated to the traveling festival with stops between Africa and Italy. The festival kicked off with its first stop in Burkina Faso at the end of February, and will come to several Italian regions, starting in the spring. The central theme of the festival is the dissemination of knowledge, behaviors and forms of active participation aimed at the adoption of sustainable consumption and production styles. Each stage of the festival includes a rich program of meetings and debates alongside art workshops, moments of music and performance.

Another key activity will be the implementation of local projects designed by the territorial tables, in cooperation with associations and institutions in 7 regions of Italy. Educational workshops on environmental education for children will also continue, with podcast production and social challenges on agroecology topics, to broaden the audience of young people involved.

Finally, for broad involvement of adults as well, an online platform will be created to collect good practices of agroecological cooperation, to photograph and make available to all agroecology projects with particularly positive impact in Italy and around the world.

The CHAlleNGE project is co-financed by theItalian Agency for Development Cooperation. WWOOF Italy is among the project partners along with Deafal, ACRA, Reattiva, Mani Tese, Open Impact, Terra Nuova, and Altraeconomia.

CHAlleNGE – Call to Action for local and national agroecological change promoted by New Ecological Generations

AID 012618/03/5