<< Background >>It’s Time to get young people involved and contributing effectively in the fight against the biodiversity and climate crisis. According to the United Nations, we have a decade to take action before it is too late. Generation Z are often seen as victims, rather than valid contributors who can make a difference (Rousell, D and Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, A (2019) A systematic review of climate change education: giving children and young people a ‘voice’ and a ‘hand’ in redressing climate change. Children’s Geographies. ISSN 1473- 3277)The overwhelming nature of the crisis and urgency of the language surrounding media reports can lead to eco-anxiety. Eco- anxiety describes the ‘challenging emotions experienced to a significant degree, due to environmental issues and the threats they pose’ (Pihkala, Panu. 2019. Climate Anxiety. Helsinki: MIELI Mental Health Finland). Without hope in the tangible actions that young people can do to prevent and reduce the crisis, eco-anxiety will spread and debilitate this generation. We need to be providing tangible ways that young people can take action, ensure their generation have a voice and be more effective in the fight against the biodiversity and climate crisis now and in the future. It’s Time for this generation of young people to have a platform to do this and that’s why this project is so important. BirdLife International is the world’s largest conservation network, there is no other global conservation organisation who works in as many different countries across the world. Therefore, the impact of having young people at the centre of decision-making, representing their generation and the environmental issues that are important to them could be one of the most impactful ways to engage young people and achieve the global systemic changes needed to reduce and improve the environmental crisis.<< Objectives >>The main project aim is to create the first BirdLife Europe Young Leaders Council. This council will be used as a mechanism to achieve the project objectives of improving engagement of young people in environmental issues, particularly those with fewer opportunities, providing recommendations to BirdLife International on young people’s environmental priorities and finally creating a series of meaningful actions decided by the youth council to protect nature across Europe.<< Implementation >>The project has three stages. The first stage will be kick-started with a transnational meeting to decide the outline of three intellectual outputs. Output 1 is the terms of reference for the BirdLife Europe Young Leaders Council, outlining the aims and objectives, structure, selection process and guidelines for implementing the council. Output 2 is the training programme to build the capacity of young people to participate to their full potential. There will be two main training modules, the first will provide an induction and context to the work of BirdLife International, and the second module will focus on leadership with an emphasis on communication skills. The third output will create the communications materials needed for two communications campaigns. This will include social media packs, a promotional video, branding and graphics so the BirdLife partners have all of the necessary materials to implement the campaign. The 2nd project stage will be the implementation of intellectual outputs 2 and 3. The first communications campaign will celebrate the achievements of young people in conservation and invite young people aged between 18-24 years old to apply to participate in the council. The communications campaign will be disseminated across at least 15 different European countries through the local BirdLife partner. The selection process for the council will also take place during this stage. In September 2022, the first cohort of the young leaders council will participate in a learning, teaching and training activity, hosted by BirdLife International in the U.K. Here, they will meet the BirdLife partnership, receive training on leadership and communications and lead a multiplier event engaging with external conservation organisations. The third project stage marks the first year of the BirdLife Europe Young Leaders Council. During this stage, the young people will design and implement a communications campaign with the support of Station Europe to engage young people with fewer opportunities with environmental issues. They will also deliver multiplier events with the guidance of their local project partner and provide their recommendations to BirdLife International on how to engage with young people and the environmental priorities which are important to this generation. The final intellectual output, the volunteer brochure, created by BirdLife Poland in consultation with the council and other BirdLife partners will provide tangible ways for young people to volunteer and create meaningful actions to protect nature across Europe.<< Results >>The expected outcomes from these activities are that young people in 15 European Countries, particularly those with fewer opportunities, are given motivation, support and opportunities that will enable them to fight the biodiversity and climate crisis. The council will provide a platform for young people to represent their generation and their country in sharing the environmental priorities and concerns that are important to them, and as a result, enable the BirdLife Network to address these priorities and concerns to work for young people more effectively. We want to start a movement across the conservation community that ensures young people are at the centre of the conservation actions over the next decade. The decade that will be the turning point of determining whether humanity and nature can thrive together, or ultimately destroy each other.

The main goal of the project was to enhance the quality of early years environmental education in order to develop children’s interest in and connection to nature and to achieve high quality learning outcomes that support basic core curriculum and lifelong learning skills. Teaching about nature is an excellent opportunity to develop a set of children's skills and competences important for achieving better effects of learning in different fields of education and then for the wellbeing of individuals and more sustainable future of communities. And yet nature education is often under appreciated and its potential ignored in national curricula at primary and early year levels. Many educators suffer from a lack of dedicated materials and examples of engaging activities for such children. This project was based on experiences of the already operating international educational project Spring Alive that also involves the 6 BirdLife Partners (ornithological ngos) engaged in this project. The transnational dimension of the project is very important, bringing the best examples of how nature based education can deliver profound and lasting learning outcomes to countries and regions where the potential has not been realized. The international cooperation also provides a basis for future international networking. The practical knowledge and competence of pre-school and primary school teachers was enhanced by providing them with training and resources. Resources are also available to educators running informal education through making the supporting materials widely accessible. The training provided an opportunity for exchanging teachers' experiences from their work at a transnational level. Academic educationalists and trainers were engaged to ensure the highest quality of the created resources.The project was addressed to teachers from rural areas and small towns to develop theirs skills and to enable them to access the most current knowledge, teaching practices and resources. 60 teachers from preschools and primary schools participated in the training. Over 342 teachers took part in national training events. At least 2360 teachers from primary schools and pre-schools as well informal educators from European countries will download the materials after the delivery of the demonstration lessons and free access to the uploaded resources online this and upcoming year. Main activities undertaken during the project's duration:The activities of 1st half of the project timeline were focussed on: research on the most important obstacles and challenges in area of environmental education in primary and pre-school education; determining the innovative teaching methods and content of resources to overcome these obstacles; developing a set of engaging and effective teaching materials (O2, O3). During the 2nd half of the project, activities were focused on: continuing and finalizing the work on the teaching resources; adapting them to the partners national requirements (=language / curricula); organizing international workshop for teachers; disseminating the materials during multiplier events together with, mostly online, promotion. Teaching materials (O2, O3, O4), including the mobile application helping children to learn issues related to nature in an interactive way, were ready to use and presented at the workshop for teachers in July 2018 Ireland/Maynooth University. As a result of the project we delivered the following intellectual outputs: materials for pre- and primary schools, mobile app and a video tutorial. The project provided teachers of preschools and primary schools across six countries with innovative, relevant teaching resources. Moreover supported and trained them to deliver an effective nature themed programme of learning.The project also grealty improved the communication and cooperation of the project partners from Poland, Spain, Ireland, Slovakia, Czechia and Macedonia as well as their interaction with the educational systems in their countries. All the intellectual project outputs are available for teachers and educators not only on the partners' website but also on the Spring Alive national websites. They will continue to be used by teachers from countries where Spring Alive operates as each year they will be encouraged to use them. They will also continue to be available on the BL Partnership extranet for use of the BL Partners and teachers they work with. Project partners continue to maintain contact with interested teachers to further develop their teaching curricula. The results and impact are greater than expected. We have successfully shared the information through all our channels. The greatest impact are groups of teachers who have became advocates for our materials. A long-term benefit was achieved by creating a network of teachers at European level and at national level. Thus the project effects will be multiplied during next years after the lifetime of the project long term results.

The project developed an environmental education programme called One World Learning (OWL) in which we promoted diversity, citizenship , language learning, integrated science, team work and critical thinking in an environmental context for children, youths and adults. The overall aim was to trigger behavioural changes that will lead to inquisitive, empowered, socially inclusive and environmentally responsible individuals and communities. The project addressed the urgent need for encouraging active citizenship, critical thinking and intercultural exchange across communities in Europe as recognised in the Lisbon Treaty. The resources and events delivered encouraged participants to be active citizens, to think critically about how they can improve their local environments and learn and share knowledge and experiences from other individuals and communities across cultures and countries. OWL has combined best practice, innovation, research and experience from five environmental NGO’s to develop One World Learning into a project which is relevant on a European level and beyond. Through transnational cooperation and exchange between education and training providers and other stakeholders we managed to achieve the following objectives: 1. To strengthen partnerships and networks between European countries in the field of environmental education. 2. To develop an international environmental education programme based on best practice and European standards. 3. To promote positive environmental behaviours, citizenship, critical thinking and innovation in children and youths. 4. To strengthen teacher and leader professional development in the field of environmental education. 5. To promote diversity and intercultural exchange through language learning for children 6. To promote new interests in science learning through opportunities for practical outdoor activities 7. Promote international awareness of the educational and health benefits of learning in the natural environment using both local and international research findings. 8. To connect outdoor learning and social inclusion The project also addressed national priorities for the year 2017 in the fields: 1. Foreign Language teaching and/or learning 2. Life Skills for Children 3. Applied Learning 4. Science and Technology 5. Alternative Learning programme and initiatives Project activities impacted 950 people, including 500 children and 450 teaching professionals. After the project has ended it has the potential to impact tens of thousands of children- In Malta for example- we work with around 18,000 children per year who participate in the schools programme which was developed through this project. The network developed is expanding and continuing to influence environmental and educational organisations around the world, impacting children in turn. The partnership consisted of: Birdlife Malta (Lead partner); Maltese Ministry for Education and Employment; Birdlife Europe; OTOP (Polish Society for the Protection of Birds); SPEA (Portugese Society for the Study of Birds; and Learning Through Landscapes (UK). By working together we shared best practice and learnt from each other to create an environmental education network that will have longer term relevance and reach through Birdlife International. Year 1 consisted of three transnational meetings. The core themes that were covered included: Introduction, team building, planning and risk management (T1- Malta), communications, branding and engagement planning (T2- Belgium), Intellectual Outputs and defining One World Learning Europe (T3- Poland). This year was mainly focused on development of intellectual outputs 01-05. There was also a learning, teaching, training activity (C1), in which the partnership came together for teacher training in the U.K.Year 2 focused on the development of digital outputs (06) and the final One World Learning programme (07), all the dissemination events took place this year and there was a final learning, teaching, training event hosted by BirdLife Europe and Central Asia. There were two transnational meetings, one was in the UK and the other took place in Portugal.

This project was designed to develop an environmental education programme which engages with at least 80% of young people aged 5-21 in Malta, through formal education, vocational training courses, non-formal and informal education. In addition this project aimed to provide documented evidence to show the importance of connection with nature for health well-being and education, which can be used by international project partners to support implementation in their own and other European countries. The project aimed to achieve these objectives by enhancing transnational cooperation between education and training providers and other stakeholders. Lifelong Learning through Nature (LLN) provided learning opportunities for all young people including academics, low achievers, those with behavioural or learning difficulties, and those who would rather learn through vocational studies. If young people are suitably engaged they will wish to continue their studies to remain involved in the programme. The project also aimed to provide a model for designing education policy in relation to science, learning through the natural sciences. LLN seeked to establish pathways for the achievement of a better connection to the growing importance of the environment in European priorities, lifestyles, and concerns.The project partners were three environmental NGO's and the Ministry of Education and Employment in Malta. The environmental NGO's were based in Poland (The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)), U.K. (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)) and Ireland (BirdWatch Ireland (BWI)). The Ministry of Education and Employment has always supported BirdLife Malta's education programme and encouraged primary schools to use the Dinja Wahda Action Guide. BirdLife Malta, RSPB, BirdWatch Ireland and OTOP are linked internationally as they are all partners of BirdLife International. The partners were identified by BirdLife Malta as BirdLife Partners which are also delivering nature conservation through education. This project was the first time any of the partner international organisations has linked with Malta for education.Year one of the project was based on research, developing innovative ideas, producing relevant resources and working with the Education Ministry to ensure curriculum links and qualifications are in place. Each international project partner prepared baseline data on the current level of involvement in their environmental education programme and researched into the areas where new ideas could be developed. The expert group then met to develop a programme plan involving the innovative ideas to be trailed for each partner. Small scale piloting of these ideas happened in the first year. In this initial stage this project engaged with all primary and kinder schools in Malta, and initially 10% of Secondary Schools. Year two of the project saw the full implementation of the programme plan in Malta with partner organisations from RSPB, BirdWatch Ireland and OTOP visiting to observe and review progress. Following the report from the first year of full implementation the relevant programme ideas were then developed and expanded to be implemented in both Ireland and Poland. Full implementation continued in Malta in the third year with necessary amendments or additions. The expected result of this project was to engage with at least 80% of young people aged 5-21 in Malta, and to test implementation of the same resources and ideas in Poland and Ireland. This result was achieved, evidenced by the changes in policy and curriculum, and by the action guides developed. The environmental education programmes all have curriculum links and increased outreach across all schools in Malta. The outline of this programme is relevant and transferable to other European countries. The project experience was accumulated in a conference in which all partners from BirdLife International were invited to hear presentations from project partners and share lessons learned. Good practice guides and case studies are available for dissemination on online platforms. This project provided documented evidence to show the importance of connection with nature for health, well-being and education through an independent research study from the University of Malta which was presented to government, international partners and members of the public.

The project aims to improve the quality of early years environmental education of blind and visually impaired children, to develop their interest in nature, enhance their contacts with nature and thereby support them in feeling socially included and to achieve high quality learning outcomes.In order to achieve this, the project will provide teachers of blind and visually impaired children with innovative teaching materials to enable them to deliver an engaging, enriching programme of environmental education in truly appealing manner. The project will give the opportunity to the teachers to strengthen their skills and confidence when it comes to teaching about nature, to understand and learn how to teach about nature and how to use the outdoor activities to engage disabled pupils in various school subjects.For visually impaired children the project will develop a mobile application allowing them to learn to recognize bird sounds while spending time outdoors across Europe.Seeing the World through Nature is based on experiences and intellectual outputs of the completed in September 2018 international Erasmus+ project Empowering Teachers and Pupils for a Better Life through Nature and on the international cooperation between BirdLife Partners engaged in the Spring Alive project, both focused on birds and nature. The transnational dimension of this project is very important, bringing the best examples of how nature based education can deliver profound and lasting learning outcomes to children with vision disabilities from all the partner countries. The transnational cooperation enables best practice in one country to be extended to other countries and provides a simple structure to demonstrate how nature works at local to global levels. It also provides a basis for future international networking.Activities planned for the 35 months of the duration of the project:During the first 22 months of the project, the central focus will be on the development of highly effective educational resources, which will enhance teachers' abilities in providing nature education for preschool and primary school children with visual disabilities. The project activities are designed to benefit from the scientific expertise and educational experience of the staff of the conservation partner organisations combined with the needs of visually impaired learners provided by experts from the Polish Association of the Blind and national experts from the partner countries.The last year of the project will be dedicated to testing, conducting trainings, multiplier events and disseminating established intellectual outputs amongst the schools, kindergartens, as well as teachers and educators who provide education for blind and visually impaired children from preschools and primary schools in the partner countries and the whole EU (multiplier events and European Conference for BirdLife Partners). The educational materials which are planned to be delivered in the project are:1) Set of nature themed educational materials for preschool and primary school teachers of blind and visually impaired children from the partner countries (O2)2) Mobile application for children with vision disabilities to enable them recognizing birds by their sounds (O3)3) Template of the teachers' training (O4) universal for all European countries to provide professional trainings of implementing developed resources for the teachers in question.54 teachers from preschools and primary schools for children with disabilities will take part in the multiplier events for the teachers from special preschools and primary schools in the countries. Together 80 pupils will participate in the demonstration lessons in all the partner countries. 90 educators, journalists, representatives of the organizations for blind and visually impaired people will participate in the multiplier events for wider public in all the partner countries. 35 representatives from the BirdLife Partners will take part in the European Conference and they will be able to disseminate this project's results and outputs further to the institutions, which might benefit from them. The intellectual outputs might reach 300 educators of formal and informal education through BirdLife Partners.