The European Environment Agency (EEA) admits that “Europe will not achieve its 2030 (sustainable development) goals without urgent action” (Dec 2019). Included in the seven key areas for action by the EEA are “support innovation and nature-based solutions” and “investing in education and skills”. Clearly, current approaches to achieving environmental sustainability and addressing climate change are not achieving results fast enough. Whilst a good first step, we need bolder approaches. Biomimicry offers a bold approach, one based on 3.8 billion years of research conducted by nature.A key educational challenge is to make the transition to a green economy tangible and meaningful. An approach embraced by business is biomimicry, a set of principles based on nature to address human-design challenges; to ensure that the way we meet the needs of humanity also meets the needs of the natural systems we rely on for survival. Google, Apple, Airbus and others are already tapping the power of nature to tackle some of humanities biggest challenges.NatEnt uses biomimicry to take students on a learning journey to discover the principles which makes nature a model for sustainability. It offers an opportunity to explore how these principles can tackle the sustainability challenges facing Europe. And finally, it empowers students to apply their new competences to create real solutions that work; entrepreneurship for social and economic good.STEM subjects offer the ideal vehicle. Biology teaches us about how nutrients cycle in a woodland and can help us see how technical nutrients can cycle in produce design. Chemistry shows us how nature creates infinite shapes and forms using simple formulas with degrade back into harmless elements. Physics demonstrates how forces can be harnessed to reduce energy use. Technology can use the science of nature to build new products, processes and systems which mirror nature.The overall objective of NatEnt is ‘to develop the key STEM and entrepreneurship competences of young people to play an active role in tackling Europe’s key sustainability challenges.’ This will be reached through four objectives:1.Develop the competence of students to apply biomimicry to understand and address Europe’s key sustainability challenges.2.Increase the capacity of students to apply entrepreneurial thinking and work collaboratively to create solutions for the green economy.3.Provide support for teachers to integrate STEM subjects with entrepreneurship.4.Improve access to digital learning to enhance both independent and collaborative learning.NatEnt will work with schools in 5 countries targeting teachers from secondary/vocational schools, and working with students 15-18 years. We expect to develop and pilot resources with 15 schools, 30 teachers and approximately 500 students. The final results will be widely disseminated to schools, education providers, education departments and networks nationally and throughout Europe. For students, teachers and schools, the project will result in:•More young people motivated and capable to act to bring about a sustainable future and green economy.•Students collaborating to design solutions to Europe’s key sustainability challenges.•New and innovative teaching resources for schools combining biomimicry, STEM, entrepreneurship and digital learning.•Increased capacity of teachers to provide inspiring learning for the green economy.•Future orientated curricula and learning activities.•Online independent learning modules for teachers and students.•Enhanced understanding and application of biomimicry in teaching and learning.NatEnt will achieve these results through integrating biomimicry into STEM subjects and creating entrepreneurial challenges through which STEM knowledge can be applied to tackle sustainability issues. Learning resources will use the natural world to inspire students about how nature solves problems elegantly and sustainably, and then demonstrate how biomimicry can use the same ‘natural genius’ to address human-challenges. Learning resources will be created as online courses to allow for student flexibility and independent learning, as well as more traditional classroom-based activities. A co-creation platform will be established for students to turn their learning from nature into entrepreneurial ideas to address human-challenges. The platform will bring students and entrepreneurs together around common challenges, encouraging them to work collaboratively to achieve win-win results for all.Over the long-term, NatEnt will contribute new perspectives and methods for young people to contribute to building a sustainable Europe. It offers new approaches to sustainability which are matched to the scale of change required. In turbulent times it provides new visions of hope; models to rethink how we meet our needs which bring us into harmony with nature upon which we depend for our future survival and flourishing.

Climate change is a challenge for Europe which reaches beyond national borders. Young people across Europe are taking action themselves, not satisfied to leave it to others; there is a clear demand for new stories, new hope and new agency to address climate change (FridaysForFuture). The latest IPCC climate change report (2018) gives us 12 years to act, requiring rapid and far-reaching changes to avoid irreversible damage.Finding solutions which enable communities to transition to a low carbon future is a key issue facing all countries in Europe. This clearly links with European and global priorities laid out in EU2020 and 2013 Energy & Climate Framework.Young people are increasingly rejecting climate politics and demanding new stories; we intend to provide them with the tools and opportunity. Stories are an effective way to understand and make sense of the world around us; they are the primary way people makes sense of their lives. “We are storytelling creatures, and as children we acquire language to tell those stories that we have inside us.” (Bruner). Compelling stories which challenge climate myths and fake news are urgently needed; stories which reframe addressing climate change as an opportunity for Europe to grow and come together.The overall objective of Change the Story is ‘to empower young people to develop compelling stories addressing climate change, using digital technologies to communicate their results and inspire others to take action’. These stories will be sourced from local people about how the community has changed in ways that can be attributed to or which contribute to climate change; stories of local projects which help mitigate or adapt to climate change; and critically new stories that are created by young people to explore possible desired futures and take action.This will be reached through 5 inter-linked objectives:1.Increase the motivation of pupils and provide meaningful opportunities to take collective positive action for the benefit of their community and the wider European community.2.Improve digital competences and communication skills of pupils.3.Increase the use of digital tools in learning and teaching through innovative digital pedagogies.4.Enhance the competence of teachers to creatively use digital technology in the classroom and community.5.Develop formative assessment tools that assess pupils digital and civic competences.Change the Story targets pupils aged 9-14 years in primary and middle schools from five countries. We will work with 3 pilot schools in each country and approximately 500 pupils. Through our dissemination activities we expect to reach a minimum of a further 250 teachers, 150 schools and 3750 pupils. The project has been developed in collaboration with and based on the needs of our pilot schools.Key to delivering Change the Story will be the use of digital storytelling as a pedagogy. Digital storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool that engages teachers and pupils. We will create a pedagogical framework integrating the core aspects of digital technology, citizenship competences and climate change. Using this framework, we will develop a suite of activities adapted for the curriculum of each partner country. Alongside this, we will develop a digital playroom where schools can privately learn and use digital tools to create compelling stories about climate change which encourage people to action. A celebration website will share these stories. Competence assessment tools will ensure learning can be monitored and evaluated, and training resources created so teachers can ‘self-train’ to implement the project post-funding.As a result of Change the Story, we expect to have created a long-term toolkit comprising digital tools and curriculum linked learning resources. These will leave a lasting legacy resulting in:•Young people with enhanced understanding of how climate change affects their community and how they can actively influence it.•Young people becoming engaged citizens with an understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and empowered to act.•Young people able to understand and present complex narratives in succinct and accessible ways.•Young people with an enhanced sense of being a part of Europe and improved inter-cultural skills.•Schools with a better understanding of the potential of digital storytelling to address subject content and competences.•Improved digital competences of both teachers and pupils.•A resource base for teachers to continue developing new stories.•Training resources guiding teachers to teach storytelling and use digital technology.Over the long-term, we plan that Change the Story will contribute to climate change learning which rather than turning pupils away from action with messages of doom and gloom, actively engages pupils with positive messages and actions that are meaningful, shared with their community and influence real change