16th European Forest Pedagogics Congress

It is clear that education must contribute to combating climate change and that environmental education is predestined for this role. This is especially true for forest pedagogy and nature-based environmental education. But how can we do this and how can it be effective?

• What does contemporary forest pedagogy look like in times of climate change? What projects, programmes and approaches are there?
• How can/should forest pedagogy inputs/interventions be designed so that they make a contribution against climate change? And how can they be further developed?
• How can insights from climate education enrich the methodology of forest pedagogy?

These and similar questions will be raised and discussed at the European Forest Pedagogics Congress 2022, which will take place in different forests and inspiring places in the Zurich region.

A congress, which:

• …is not just about talking but about substantially reducing our negative impact on the climate and sharing and developing solutions.
• … is in itself climate positive.
• … takes partners and participants on a journey to new possibilities with respect to the climate crisis.

At the end of this learning journey, the participants are empowered to make an effective contribution to dealing with the climate crisis through educational events.

• Gathering, sharing and disseminating existing concepts and developing new, innovative educational opportunities to support tackling the climate crisis effectively.
• A European congress, which is itself climate neutral or climate positive. The educational activities should help to reduce CO2 directly as well as show solutions.
• Transfer before and after the congress is of key importance: the aim is for the participants to implement climate-effective solutions in their everyday work.
• Participants raise their awareness of the possibilities of education in the context of climate change.

Last June, at the 15th European Forest Pedagogics Congress 2021 online “in Luxemburg”, the participants received some homework: You were asked to implement preparatory activities in your country. Now we repeat this call:

• There are still almost five months to develop educational interventions or to improve existing ones until the congress in May 2022.
• We will exchange best practices and lessons learned during the congress.
• The participants will go back to their home countries with feedback from other participants, the ideas and findings from the congress and, possibly, defined next steps for further development.

This next five months, we would like you to...

• lead a discussion on "Forest Education and Climate Protection",
• plan, implement and evaluate concrete forest education activities on climate protection,
• collect and share results (“the online part”),
• come to the 2022 congress with as concrete results as possible, open to exchange, feedback and improvements (“the offline part”).

The discussion is already taking place using the “flipped classroom / flipped learning” concept. In this way, we can share good practice and arrive at the congress in May as prepared as possible. This way our exchange and mutual learning will gain in quality and depth. (If you are interested, you can find an introduction to the topic here: A Beginner's Guide to Flipped Classroom and What, why, and how to implement a flipped classroom model).

You can already find several blogposts on European forest education and climate on http://forestpedagogics.eu/portal/news/, and more posts are planned. Moreover, you can publish your own experiences: collect tried and tested, impactful, working examples of climate education in nature/forests from your countries. If you publish them on the web and tell us about it, or write a blogpost about it, we will then publish them on forestpedagogics.eu and on the congress website.

For space and ecological reasons, we have limited the number of participants to 50 participants from Switzerland and 100 participants from other countries.

Until mid-February, registrations are therefore limited to five participants per country, and in Switzerland to two participants per organisation. Members of de FCN Subgroup Forest Pedagogics have priority. From February onwards, any remaining places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

The workshops will be held in Sihlwald on the 11th of May and in the Hönggerberg forest on the 12th of May. (This will be the offline-, collaboration-, design and problem solving-, work in groups-, research-, construct knowledge-, … -part of the flipped classroom model).

The deadline for proposals is the 15th of March 2022. The organizing institutions and the FCN-Forest Pedagogy Subgroup will choose an interesting and diverse selection of workshops from your proposals.

General requirements for the workshop:

• It contributes to the theme of the congress (recommended).
• It shows innovative best practice and discusses it, trying to develop it further.
• It gives impulses as to how Forest Pedagogy can be developed, for example by reaching new target-groups or offering new methods.
• It fulfils the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and should be in accordance with the competencies of ESD.
• It lasts either 60 or 120 minutes (including recording of the outcome/result/summary)
• It must be held outside in the forest.
• About 15 people should be able to attend.
• It is possible to plan a “flipped classroom” workshop and to publish the material in advance so that there is more time for testing, discussion and exchange during the workshop.
• The outcome/result/summary of the workshop should be exhibited afterwards to all the participants in the form of online poster/story board/collage.

Please note: you have to bring all the equipment/materials needed for your workshop with you.

We have funding for our guests from outside of Switzerland to partially reimburse you for the travel and accommodation costs. If your travel by environmentally friendly means of transport (no flights).

We will be able to fund the following (per person):

• Up to CHF 400.- for the journey if ecological means of transport are used (no flights).
• Up to CHF 87.- for an overnight stay

It is mandatory that you pre-finance the expenses and keep the receipts.

The congress fee is CHF 240.- (CHF 80.- per day)

The price includes:

• Travel from the centre to and from the respective congress venue
• Catering during the sessions
• Any material

Not included:

• Travel to Zurich
• Overnight stay
• Costs of the leisure programme and catering outside the joint programme

As mentioned above, we can reimburse part of your (environmentally friendly) journey. We recommend taking the train directly to Zurich HB (main station). From there, all hotels and accommodation are easily accessible by public transport or even on foot. You will receive a ZurichCARD for  your entire stay at the congress. This covers all travel on all public transport during the congress. (Maybe you can find a night train to Zurich?: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/trains-trips/night-train.html, http://www.night-trains.com/europe/zurich/) 

There are only few (and expensive) parking spaces in Zurich. If you really have to come by car, we recommend using the Park+Ride facilities on the outskirts of the city and then public transport to travel to the centre.

The nearest airport is Zurich Airport :), the ZurichCARD is also valid from there to the city centre.

The offer of pre-booked hotel rooms via Zürich Tourismus has expired. If you have not booked a room yet, we recommend a hotel in the city centre of Zurich. For example:

• www.kronezurich.ch
• www.25hours-hotels.com
• www.glockenhof.ch
• www.engimatt.ch
• www.hotelmarta.ch
• www.royalhotelzurich.ch
• www.ruby-hotels.com
• ibis Styles Zurich City Center 

All selected hotels have the "Green Leaf" label. (More about the sustainability efforts of Zurich Tourism: https://www.zuerich.com/en/about-zt/sustainability).

In order to reduce the CO2 footprint a bit more (and to promote exchange and socialising), we also try to provide private accommodation. A list of accommodations can be here: https://cryptpad.fr/sheet/#/2/sheet/edit/JtQiY-Q-JDd0benr+8z-WHd9/p/ (Password: congress2022).

Overview, all posts on forestpedagogics.eu

• Travelling sustainably – highly recommended!
• The Climate caravan “Forest in a cart” - the new tool used by the Bulgarian forest pedagogues
• Good examples of forest related education on climate - Slovenia
• Forest Climate Weeks of the Bildungswerkstatt Bergwald - Switzerland
• You are the climate - how does an educational organisation achieve net zero by 2030?
• Educational materials on climate change
• Nature schools in the heart of Zurich
• Forest wildlife and climate - how does change become visible?
• Think climate change out of the box- make forest change a tangible experience for students

• Read articles on education and climate protection
• Write articles on education and climate protection
• Invent and publish educational activities on climate protection (in the forest)
• ...

• Travelling by public transport
• (Maybe you can find a night train to Zurich?: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/trains-trips/night-train.html, http://www.night-trains.com/europe/zurich/) 
• Stay overnight with colleagues or friends
• ...

• Offer online programme
• Choose a central venue
• Vegetarian / vegan catering
• Recommend accommodation with an eco-friendly mindset
• Arrange private accommodation
• ...