Description
The school’s physical and social environment has a significant impact on children’s and
youths’ perception of their role as active citizens who have a say in improving the quality of their lives.
Sometimes, schools are overwhelmed with cars during drop-off and pick-up times, making it tough for kids to move around freely. Families often feel unsafe outside because of all that traffic, and public spaces aren’t designed to facilitate coexistence.
Plus, there’s usually not enough collaboration between the school and the local community to improve things.
According to the 2030 Agenda, we need to rethink how cities work, aiming for safe, healthy, and fair environments that support sustainable communities and good transport options.
This course will introduce you to projects like the European STARS initiative, which focuses on changing how students get around.
The goal is to cut down on personal car use and make cities more kid-friendly, encouraging more children to be out and about.
Getting to school safely and healthily is super important. Active travel helps kids connect with their neighborhood and interact with the community, which is crucial for them to feel at home and become engaged citizens who can help shape their surroundings.
In this course, you’ll learn how to turn public spaces into learning environments for your students and how you can involve your class in their transformation.
We’ll explore the different uses of public spaces and discuss how mobility plays a role in their structure.
You’ll also have the chance to think about the kind of place you want to live in. Then we’ll dive into hands-on practice, figuring out how to design activities that change habits and improve both the indoor and outdoor spaces of schools.
Finally, we’ll explore ways to connect with local authorities and make sure the students’ projects are considered, so they can bring real change to the neighborhood.
By the end of the course, you’ll see just how important it is to enhance public spaces.
Since everyone plays a part in this, you’ll recognize the educational potential of any project done in public areas with students.
You’ll be ready to create fun activities and experiences that boost student mobility and help rethink the school environment for a safer, healthier, and fairer community.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help participants to:
- Evaluate their school’s mobility habits;
- Introduce within their schools the principles of active mobility and equity in the
organization of public space; - Create citizen participation actions with their students to encourage reflection and
transformation; - Connect with their local community and authorities;
- Design and plan actions to support active mobility around the school.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Introduction to the course
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools;
- Introduction to public space and sustainable mobility;
- The relationship between public space and mobility;
- Brainstorming and sharing personal experiences about active mobility: obstacles and opportunities.
Day 2 – Kid-friendly cities and neighborhoods
- Current distribution and necessary redistribution of public space;
- Reflection on the spaces we live in;
- Equity and equal opportunities;
- Practical workshop: mobility around the school.
Day 3 – Active ways to get to school safely and healthily
- The European “STARS” project;
- “The City of Children” project;
- Safe school routes;
- Practical workshop: design the entrance of your school.
Day 4 – Citizen participation actions for sustainable mobility
- Connecting with the community: interviews and surveys;
- Claim the street: pacifist protest actions;
- Changing perspective: inclusion is the key;
- Awareness-raising campaign: words, images, and sounds to support a new vision.
Day 5 – Design an action plan for your school
- Actions to address the mobility issues around your school;
- Reflexion on intern and extern collaborations needed;
- Connecting initiatives through a European network.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.