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CITIZENS FOR ENERGY TRANSITION: Educating citizens..
CITIZENS FOR ENERGY TRANSITION: Educating citizens on the energy transition,
improving practices and multiplying efforts
Start date: Sep 1, 2015,
End date: Aug 31, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
The ‘Energy Transition’ concerns the move from the current energy system, dominated by fossil fuels, towards one dominated instead by renewable sources, in which energy efficiency and energy conservation practices are embedded.
The “Citizens 4 Energy Transition” (C4ET) project aims to encourage citizen participation in the energy transition by improving and multiplying actions being implemented to raise awareness, educate and train citizens on this issue. Even though energy is a transversal topic, crucial to sustainable development, it is generally perceived as a technical issue, making its appropriation by citizens difficult. Yet, the participation of citizens in the energy transition, notably through behavioural changes, is crucial for our societies to become sustainable and low-carbon.
The main target group for C4ET is representatives of stakeholders working on the education of citizens, especially on the energy transition or interested in doing so (CSOs, NGOs, municipalities, associations etc.). The project aims to directly reach over 5000 participants, mostly from this target group but also citizens themselves (through multiplier events, questionnaires, stakeholder identification, dissemination and communication activities). Importantly, C4ET's impacts will be further spread by the multiplier effect, via the targeted organisations working with citizens.
In order to reach its objective, the C4ET project will develop a set of innovative pedagogical materials and tools, structured according to a defined pedagogical programme of six “focus subjects” (one led by each partner), with five tools being produced under each subject. These tools will be accompanied by guidance and pedagogical tools including video tutorials and exhibition posters. A learning activity will be run to share best practice and knowledge between partner organisations, to build their capacity and inform the development of the pedagogical materials.
For the elaboration of the innovative pedagogical material and tools, the involved partners will draw inspiration from existing methods and practices and take into account current training needs among citizens, identified thanks to a State of the Art and Training Needs Analysis. This will also identify relevant stakeholders that are active or interested in the education of citizens on the energy transition, who will be targeted by dissemination activities. Quality of project implementation and outputs will be ensured by procedures, indicators, and reporting as defined in a project quality plan. Each tool will be evaluated by internal auditors and tested by citizens.
The innovative pedagogical materials and tools developed during the project will be available on the C4ET website (for the project duration and 5 years after), freely available as an open educational resource. This will also host an interactive forum for exchanges and sharing practices between stakeholders involved or interested in the education of citizens on the energy transition. Video tutorials related to each of the tools developed will be made available as well as an introductory video providing an overview of the themes covered and highlighting the links between them.
A dedicated dissemination and communication strategy will be implemented to enhance the project’s impact on the local, regional, national and European levels. This will combine multiplier events (including a poster exhibition), traditional media (leaflet, newsletters, project website etc.) and innovative/interactive tools (videos, webinars, social media and the online forum). An emphasis is put on digital media and ICT tools both for dissemination and the project outputs themselves. Specific dissemination targets will be monitored through regular project quality reporting.
The main desired impacts of the project are as follows – these will be monitored and evaluated according to associated indicators through six monthly reviews:
- Participants from partner organizations - improved skills for educating citizens on the energy transition; sharing knowledge and best practice; improved offer of pedagogical activities thanks to the tools developed.
- Target stakeholders (i.e. stakeholders contacted, event/webinar participants, recipients of communications) learning about the new pedagogical materials and tools available to broaden and enrich their training/awareness raising activities with citizens on the energy transition and raised interest for conducting such activities among stakeholders not yet active in the field
-Citizens: raised interest and enhanced participation in the energy transition.
The consortium comprises 6 European partners, led by the French non-profit organization ENERGIES 2050, representing 6 European countries (Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy). These organizations are CSOs, a public body as well as a private company, all active in the field of educating citizens on environmental issues such as the energy transition.