Going Green: Outdoor Education for Sustainable Development (1 week in Thessaloniki)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Dates

2026: 03.08.2026 – 08.08.2026 | 19.10.2026 – 24.10.2026 | 07.12.2026 – 12.12.2026

2027: 25.01.2027 – 30.01.2027 | 15.02.2027 – 20.02.2027 | 29.03.2027 – 03.04.2027 | 19.04.2027 – 24.04.2027 | 17.05.2027 – 22.05.2027 | 07.06.2027 – 12.06.2027 | 20.09.2027 – 25.09.2027 | 18.10.2027 – 23.10.2027 | 15.11.2027 – 20.11.2027 | 06.12.2027 – 11.12.2027

2028: To be announced (Ask for dates)

Intro

Are you ready to inspire your students to tackle the most pressing environmental challenges of our decade?

“Going green” empowers educators to implement eco-friendly practices and raise vital awareness in their classrooms and communities.

This course encompasses a diverse range of projects, such as evaluating current school practices, learning upcycling skills, and organizing outdoor education, to help you foster environmental responsibility. Discover how simple, actionable frameworks can support eco-citizenship in your teaching.

Who is this for?

This course is tailored for education, cultural and youth professionals of all levels – including teachers, leaders, counselors, mentors, camp leaders, extracurricular activity coordinators, and more – who want to promote sustainable development.

No prior environmental science expertise is required. Just curiosity and a willingness to explore green educational practices. Participants will benefit from an international learning experience while traveling with Erasmus+.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate green practices: Create a personal action plan for the evaluation and assessment of eco-friendly practices at your school.
• Raise environmental awareness: Create engaging lesson plans to raise awareness about the environmental crisis in your classroom and community.
• Inspire sustainable lifestyles: Learn how to inspire your students to make small lifestyle changes that have a massive impact.
• Establish critical thinking: Foster essential 21st-century skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and creative innovation for sustainability.
• Design outdoor learning: Seamlessly integrate outdoor learning and Eco-STEM activities into your standard curriculum.

Modules

• Module 1: European environmental targets. Explore educational practices across Europe and understand the European Environmental Targets.
• Module 2: The ‘Green’ 6 Rs. Evaluate current school practices and utilize the ‘Green’ 6 Rs (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot).
• Module 3: Understanding the crisis. Analyze the WAEW areas of the environmental crisis (Water, Air, Energy, Waste) to raise comprehensive awareness.
• Module 4: Taking action. Design strategies for taking meaningful action and accurately measuring your environmental impact.
• Module 5: Outdoor and Eco-STEM learning. Participate in hands-on outdoor learning, Eco-STEM activities.
• Module 6: Lesson planning and assessment. Review sample lessons, design your own sustainable projects, and practice presentation and assessment.

Course Outcomes

• Explore practical approaches to green education: Discover accessible Eco-STEM activities and ideas that can be adapted to different classroom contexts.
• Enhance intercultural literacy: Gain the critical tools necessary to guide youth safely and effectively in cross-cultural dialogues and European initiatives.
• Drive organizational transformation: Build confidence in implementing sustainable practices, supporting a proactive, eco-friendly culture within your institution.
• Empower youth/student voices: Shift young people from passive observers into active citizens who help find solutions to the environmental crisis.
• Promote positive school/organizational culture: Support a more environmentally conscious and sustainable learning environment.
• Exchange European best practices: Connect with an international network of educators and youth workers, sharing strategies and building long-lasting cross-border partnerships.

Equipment

Participants are advised to bring comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and suitable footwear for outdoor activities.

See all available Erasmus+ courses we offer.

Destination:

Thessaloniki – the heart of northern Greece. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, considered the co-capital of the country. It’s the place the heart of Northern Greece beats since antiquity. It served as an economical and commercial centre for many years and has rapidly developed, mostly because of its geographical location.

A stroll around the city instantly reveals its rich history. The Old Town, the Castle of Heptapyrgio, the Rotunda, the emblematic White Tower built during the Ottoman rule are just a few of the city’s famous monuments that will please every culture and history enthusiast.

Nowadays it is considered a business hub for the Balkans as it hosts several conferences and major exhibitions including the Thessaloniki International Fair. In 2021 it was acknowledged as the first Greek city to join the UNESCO Network of Gastronomy.

Thessaloniki is the city people love to visit for its culture, cuisine, and hospitality.