Sustainable Development for Youth and Youth Workers

What is so unique about this course?

This course is about how to teach to activate Youth socially in their communities.

We pull you out of the box of endless repetition of Sustainable Development Goals, to help you to land in your neighborhood social web of needs and interests.

The course steers the self-directed learning, by references to multiple external resources. The structure follows the path from the conceptualization to practical skills. At the completion of the course, you will be able to drive on your own on the learning lane. You will be prepared to adapt to a broad range of settings, circumstances and needs.

You are encouraged to complete the assignments, to practice and strengthen your capacity to elaborate training activities according to youth groups.

To whom is this course intended?

• Experienced Youth workers and Youth activists, in addressing tough sustainable development issues.
• Youth workers acting in extremely challenging and volatile settings.
• Youth workers wanting to learn on their own, to enhance and adapt their skills to the very diverse sustainable development environments.
• Advanced practitioners in the field of sustainable development.
• Young people, willing to gain competence in sustainable development, to achieve rapid tangible results for their projects.

What you will learn in this course?

• You will gain the skills to root the environmental activism into the psychology of the learning.
• The lectures go beyond refreshing your knowledge about sustainable development – they are focused on social communication, advocacy, negotiations to make things happen.
• The course provides insights to understand actual concerns of commercial companies and so drive them towards sustainable development.
• The course delivers negotiation skills to compromise and close to reach sustainable development objectives here and now.
• You will be provided with real-life knowledge about local authorities’ role in sustainable development

You will see yourself differently and the end of the course

• Completion of the course will raise you out from the crowd of people preaching sustainable development.
• You will be more familiar with self-directed learning.
• Cross-disciplinary learning will be at your hands.
• You will become a practician and so attracting young people by your pragmatic, result oriented, action style.

What you will gain?

• A time-saving, effective approach and set of skills to engage Youth in Sustainable Development.
• A differentiation from other Youth workers, because of your capacity to understand commercial companies and local authorities roles and positions in sustainable development prospects.
• A capacity to design and implement multidimensional actions and education activities for Youth

Course structure

The course structure guides you on a learning path from theory to concrete application:

• First section introduces you into the psychology and pedagogy
• The second section is a primer of sustainable development
• The third section is about Green skills
• The fourth section is about interaction with local governments
• The fifth section guides you by examples of activities dedicated to sustainable development

Who is your guide in this unique journey?

Florin Alexandru has 30 years of experience in environmental protection and teaching. He is one of the first Youth Worker after the Romanian Revolution in 1989. He is qualified teacher of Natural Sciences. Furthermore, he used to work as scientific researcher in the Romanian National Institute for Environmental Engineering and many years as European Union policies’ adviser.

His team includes Gabriela Staicu, Ecology Professor at the University, and communication expert in more than 10 European Union funded projects and contributors from 6 other European Countries and professor (r) Nicolae Galdean, along with the experts from the GenZ Consortium.

The course is based on the work of European Partners -GenZ Consortium, coordinated by Asociatia Pentru Dezvoltare si Mediu – ADEMED (RO): Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BG), Politeknika Txorierri (SP), linkgroup  (SB), Projects in Motion (MT), StepbyStep (HR), and Emphasys Centre (CY).

Upon completion you may request directly to the instructor the Certificate of Completion /Youth Pass.

This Course has been founded by the European Union, through the Erasmus+ Project 2021-1-RO01-KA220-YOU-000028774.