Building Bridges Between Academia and Community

Children and teenagers are future decision makers and consumers—in other words, potential catalysts for change. They play a key role in implementing sustainable development. Critical analysis of relevant questions and solution designs are crucial elements of school education. This requires practical examples and, particularly for young people, models to learn from and emulate, at present and in the future. Schools are important learning places for the personal and educational development of adolescents. They can transfer sustainable thinking and acting and can empower children as catalysts for change. Education for Sustainable Development, however, is rarely practiced in German and European schools. This makes sharing proven and applicable knowledge with schools—as the FFU does—the more valuable.  

“Learning for a sustainable future” is the slogan of Schools@University. Focusing on a holistic ESD approach and on the key topics of sustainable development distinguishes this educational format from other types of “Children’s Universities”. So far, ten Schools@University years have been implemented successfully, focusing on energy, climate protection and sustainability. Continuous improvements through dialogues with the target group and evaluations ensure the ongoing development of both content and method of Schools@University.