RCE Belarus - 2018

Workshop series "Educational practices for achieving SDGs"
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Workshop series "Educational practices for achieving SDGs"
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Belarus
Contributing organization(s) : 
RCE Belarus: Belarusian State Pedagogical Maxim-Tank-University (BSPU), Education for Sustainable Development Association – Gymnasium #19 Minsk, NGO Eka-Majsterni, NGO Nash Sled;
University of Vechta (Germany), Janun e.V. Hannover (Germany)
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Sofia Savelava, Kate Sposab
Organizational Affiliation: 
Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development” BSPU
E-mail: 
k.sposob@gmail.com
Name: 
Natallia Navumenka
Organizational Affiliation: 
Faculty for Natural Sciences BSPU
E-mail: 
nata-n15@mail.ru
Format of project: 
PowerPoint
Language of project: 
Russian
Date of submission:
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Web link: 
https://esdcc.bspu.by/
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
UNESCO Roadmap for Global Action Programme on ESD
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
2) National Strategy of the Republic of Belarus for Sustainable Social and Economical Development-2030
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Europe
Country: 
Belarus
Location(s): 
Minsk
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Sovetskaya street 18-3-233, 220030 Minsk, Belarus
Ecosystem(s):
Urban/Peri-urban
Target Audience:
Higher, Teacher Ed., Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
For the past decade, Belarus has achieved a certain economical stabilization, but it can`t sustain in the long run unless deeper market and institutional reforms together with innovative development approaches are put into place. The social challenges are connected to the inreasing of retirement-age population and the unemployment rate, which was only 3% according to the state statistics, but, by experts’ estimates, the hidden unemployment can potentially rise to 30%. For present and for the perspective the main focus of governmental ecological programs will be placed on mitigation of Chernobyl disaster effects and development of environmentally unsound regions, and areas in depression.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
Geographically, Belarus is at the centre of Europe. Economically, it belongs to the western part of Europe’s East and is a part of a Post-Soviet territory. It has its impact on Belarusian culture, history, economics and the population’s mindset. Nowadays the actors of local sustainability processes and ESD (educational institutions, NGOs and individuals) are dealing with this legacy and through local, regional and national projects and activities are contributing to the development of new ways of thinking, attitudes, behavioral patterns and responsible way of living. From the top, the government is doing the steps forward too: a management architecture to achieve the SDGs, including National Coordinator and the Council for Sustainable Development are being built the National Strategy for Sustainable Development-2030 is being developed.
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Rationale: 
A number of educational activities (Decade ESD etc.) organized through the last year in collaboration of RCE Belarus and BSPU, have revealed by prospective teachers and academic staff of the university the need for more knowledge and competencies around ESD implementation in the education. While assessing these needs, we have focused on innovative methods in ESD implementation and competence-based approach. Therefore we have requested our German colleagues, Janun e.V. Hannover to provide a workshop series in ESD practices for youth and to invite experts in higher education, dealing with Education for SDGs. RCE Belarus has succeeded in encouraging BSPU and Janun e.V. to share the costs for the visit of the Prof. of Vechta University, Dr.Marco Rieckmann and program manager of Janun e.V. Achim Riemann to Belarus.
Objectives: 
Aim 1: to familiarize BSPU students and staff with some strategies of implementation Education for SDGs
Aim 2: to provide space for student and academic staff for opinions sharing and project ideas developing on requested topics
Aim 3: to foster the internalization of the BSPU in ESD field
Aim 4: to train future teachers how to integrate ESD topics in the school curricula
Aim 5: to evaluate and monitor the feedback of the target group for the workshops
Activities and/or practices employed: 
Activity 1: open lectures on Competence-based Teaching and Learning, Objectives and Indicators of Education for SDGs and Community-Based Research (6-9 February,2018) in BSPU by Prof. Marco Rieckmann. Participants: BSPU academic staff, educators from other educational institutions and NGOs.
Activity 2: master-classes and workshops as follow-up of the lectures (6-9 February,2018) in BSPU by Prof. Marco Rieckmann. Participants: BSPU academic staff, educators from other educational institutions and NGOs.
Activity 3: working meetings with BSPU authorities on maintaining the inter-institutional relationships with Vechta University
Activity 4: workshops on ESD practices on climate change, sustainable mobility and consumption; workshop on core elements of workshop design, by Achim Riemann, Janun e.V. Hannover
Participants: BSPU students, Master and PhD, educators from other educational institutions and NGOs.
Activity 5: daily on-line surveys on gained experience and arising questions.
Size of academic audience: 
Open lectures and workshops of Dr. Marco Rieckmann, University of Vechta – 80 prs. Workshops of Achim Riemann, Janun e.V. – 30 prs.
Results: 
1. During open lectures and workshops the students and academic staff of BSPU learned how to apply the knowledge of Education for SDGs to the real situations and design workshops with SDGs as a topic. In the working groups they developed project ideas on including SDGs in various subjects, as Math, Art, Biology, Physical Education etc. and agreed on keeping on to work over these projects during academic year in the framework of student research labs.
2. At the meeting in Rector`s Office the representatives of BSPU and Vechta University agreed on keeping on cooperation in the ESD area. The outcome of this meeting: the return visit of the Head of the Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development” to the International Week in Vechta University was paid in 10-15th June, 2018. She was requested to hold keynotes about regional sustainability challenges in Minsk and in Belarus and about ESD in Higner Teacher Education in Belarus.
Lessons learned: 
- Education for SDGs is a particularly relevant topic for Teacher Education. The interest from BSPU students and professors has proved it again, but next time we have to consider additional funding to provide participation of the teachers and stakeholders in non-formal education from the regions of Belarus and from local communities.
- Prospective students and professors in Belarus accept favourably the lectures and workshops of guest professors, but the language barrier prevents them from direct understanding and contributing from online-resources in English and German. So, RCE Belarus considers about providing webinars and online-meetings in English on ESD with partner institutions and organizations from abroad.
Key messages: 
Integrating SDGs in the teacher training and education is one of the most powerful ways to meet sustainability challenges in local communities and to foster key sustainability competencies by youth and elder generation. Teachers are able to act as local agents of change and to engage the learning community in the local actions for achieving SDGs.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The project corresponds with the following goals of RCE Belarus:
- to contribute to the wide-spreading of the international, intersectoral and inter-agency cooperation in ESD area on all levels of the continuous education system in Belarus;
- to encourage whole-institutional approaches by establishing ESD school and university plans or embedding ESD in existing educational plans;
The project contributes to the RCE Belarus regional plan on encouraging state and non-governmental educational institutions to include Education for SDGs in their educational programs.
Funding: 
The project was funded by Janun e.V. (travel costs to Belarus, meals, except of lunches) and BSPU (lunches for both experts, accommodation, transfer from/to airport, fees)

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon 1.jpg (18.13 KB) Prof. M.Rieckmann communicates with the audience D.Saladounikava
Image icon 2.jpg (21.01 KB) What is it – Community-based Research? Lecture of Prof.Rieckmann D.Saladounikava
Image icon 3.png (50.08 KB) RRI-Components D.Saladounikava
Image icon 4.jpg (48.21 KB) Community-Based Research. Workshop by Prof. M.Rieckmann. Assistant: Sofia Savelava D.Saladounikava
Image icon 5.jpg (26.92 KB) Project ideas on integrating SDGs in training future teachers D.Saladounikava
Image icon 6.jpg (31.46 KB) Lecture of Prof. Rieckmann on Education for SDGs D.Saladounikava
Image icon 7.JPG (4.61 MB) Workshops group of A.Riemann D.Saladounikava
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Indirect
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Indirect
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Indirect
Theme
Traditional Knowledge  
Direct
Arts 
Indirect
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Indirect
Forests/Trees 
Indirect
Plants & Animals 
Indirect
Waste 
Indirect
Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development – Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Empowering and mobilizing youth 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
Indirect
Update: 
No