The winner of the ETF’s Green Skills Awards 2022 - eTwinning project The green changemakers

A Croatian-led international project involving primary and secondary schools in Croatia, Armenia and Turkey – the Green Changemakers – was named the winner of the ETF’s Green Skills Awards 2022.

The group of five primary and secondary schools installs environmental awareness in youngsters across 17 key sustainable development goals designed to address the needs of the green and digital transition. Schools in Vukovar, Karlovac, and Zagreb log daily and weekly activities, along with counterparts in Turkey and Armenia. Focused on goals that include no poverty, zero hunger and good health and well-being, as well as quality education, gender quality, and good sanitation, students design a range of projects that inculcate green awareness from the earliest age. Broad and deep, the goals include installing an appreciation of the need for decent work, responsible consumption, and affordable, clean energy in all areas of life. One of ten finalists from a field of 64 applicants, the project attracted 1,650 of the more than 3,700 public votes cast in the competition. (https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/news-and-events/news/green-skills-2022-award-winners )

Video by ETF Green Skills 2022: The Award Ceremony

For the fourth year in a row, the European Training Foundation (ETF) is conducting the Green Skills Award, a competition that includes projects from around the world that exemplify innovation and creativity in green skills and education.

This year, the ETF received 64 applications from around the world, including an application from the international eTwinning project The green changemakers. It was initiated by Sanda Šutalo, a computer science professor from the Karlovac Technical School, and Sanja Pavlović Šijanović, a computer science professor from vukovar gymnasium with the aim of achieving an interactive and innovative collaborative way of working that presents new challenges in the field of research and action in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project enables the development of communication, social, technological and ICT skills and contributes to the development not only of competences but also of a sense of solidarity, responsibility and empathy in students. As part of the project, students get to know and try out various online tools,rhyme artificial intelligence algorithms, create an environmental footprint calculator by programming in C++. They create smart and green technological solutions in the service of sustainable development using IoT, Arduin and LEGO technologies.

A number of small projects were organized and implemented that acted to respect diversity, develop solidarity, foster empathy and activism, all with the aim of concretely contributing to the community. These projects are classified by the SDGs, highlighting the need and aspiration for active action to make their own contribution to achieving all sustainability objectives. Collaborative activities contribute to the development of personal identity, recognition and respect for national natural and cultural heritage while respecting diversity and different ways of thinking and living. These include the development of responsible behaviour and the care for personal health, achievements, quality of life and relationships they develop. As such, project activities empower students to actively, effectively and successfully participate in the lives of a democratic and sustainable community.

The project was shortlisted for the "Green Transition: Education, Training and Skills" award among the ten finalists between whom the  winner was chosen  by public glasanj.  In the final, along with Croatia,  projects from the Netherlands, Jordan, Moldova, Ireland, Albania, Georgia, Kenya and Nigeria  found their place. All shortlisted eset projects are profiledand are on the ETF website, each supported by video produced by the ETF.   The public vote opened on May 13, and by the time it closed on June 5,  3,769 votes had been collected while  the video track Green Skills Award 2022 Finalist: Croatia - The Green Changemakers had more than 500 views.  On 9 June 2022, eTwinning project The green changemakers was declared the winning project. Second place went to Nigeria's Operation Skill Them Up project, while third place went to a project from Kenya's Don Bosco Tech Africa.

The green changemakers project involves 83 students and 15 teachers from five schools and three states. On the territory of the Republic of Croatia, along with the project promoters of the Vukovar Gymnasium and the Karlovac Technical School, the Industrial Mechanical Engineering School Zagreb is involved, while myinternational partnership is realized in cooperation with the Anadolia School Yunus Emre from Bingol, Turkey and the Karmirgyugh N1 secondary school, Karmirgyugh, Armenia.

By jointly designing and elaborating on topics, ideas and activities, we have created a project through which we have integrated connectivity, action and well-being into a whole suitable for successful and applicable learning and teaching about sustainable development in the 21st century. With their work and activities in the immediate environment as well as achievements, our students have shown that they are ready to actively disseminate and apply suitable knowledge and skills for sustainable living, just as they are aware of responsibilities and rights in achieving well-being for all people, the environment and future generations.

As winners of this year's Green Skills Award 2022, we are extremely proud of our successful cooperation and joint achievements and will use the possibility of visualizing and presenting the project as an example of providing an idea and inspiration for all current and future policymakers in the field of education and training in the European Union and around the world with the aim of sustainable action!

Video recording ETF Green Skills Award 2022 Finalist: Croatia - The Green Changemakers