1st CURIOSOIL Transnational CoP Meeting: Advancing Soil Education Across Europe
On September 9, 2024, the first transnational meeting of the CURIOSOIL Community of Practice (CoP) brought together soil educators, scientists, and policy advocates from across Europe. The CURIOSOIL project, spearheaded by University of Aveiro (Portugal), aims to foster soil literacy through innovative educational tools and collaborative efforts among diverse stakeholders. This inaugural event marked a significant step toward soil educators engagement with the activities of the project.
The meeting was hosted by Abdul Otman, CURIOSOIL CoP Coordinator and European Climate Pact Ambassador, who highlighted the importance of collaboration within this growing community to pilot educational materials, share resources, and provide feedback. The meeting brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss the project’s objectives, share insights, and outline future activities. Resources from the session:
- The slides presented
- Invitation to support the Gathering of Soil Education Resources here: http://smpl.ro/soil-resources
- Invitation to the Soil Education Policies Working Group http://communitiesforfuture.org/CURIOSOIL-soil-Education-Policies-working-group
- Invitation to apply for the Mapping Soil Education Initiatives outside formal educational settings: http://communitiesforfuture.org/CURIOSOIL-Mapping-Soil-Education-Initiatives
- Invitation for the 2024 Winter meeting of CURIOSOIL Community of Practice
Testimony from Katja Črnec, Faculty of Environmental Protection (FEP)
My name is Katja Črnec, I work as an assistant at the Faculty of Environmental Protection (FEP), the Slovenian partner in CURIOSOIL project and this online meeting was my second gathering with CURIOSOIL’s Community of Practice. It is my great pleasure to be part of this productive, ambitious and goal oriented community of soil educators, scientists and policy makers. Once again, this transnational meeting brought together around hundred participants, all enthusiastically interested in soil health, protection and awakening soil literacy. This meeting was a great opportunity to obtain a variety of general information about the objectives and focuses of the CURIOSOIL project, we were introduced to the project’s progress and current ongoing activities. Most importantly, the CoP members received a detailed presentation on the engagement opportunities for the coming months. In my opinion, the involvement of citizens in the project’s activities is highly beneficial, it will contribute to the dissemination of the project’s results and better outreach. I was under impression that the CoP members are keen to engage in many of the ways presented, from contributing their experiences on soil, teaching and innovation to two living documents, that are currently open for public, gathering needed information for individual CURIOSOIL work packages, participating in national workshops and meetings in their native language, taking on the responsibility of CoP leaders, to involving themselves as ambassadors with other sister projects, that were presented during the meeting. I found this get-together very productive and a great next step in CURISOIL activities. I also enjoyed the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and the active engagement of the participants, so I am already looking forward to the next CoP meeting in December. It will be interesting to hear about the progress made in promoting soil literacy across Europe in 2024 and the next milestones that we will be setting out to achieve in the year to come.
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Introduction to the CURIOSOIL Project
By collaboratively developing educational products, curriculum standards, and teacher training programs, CURIOSOIL aims to increase the appreciation of soil value and to align with the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” This initiative cultivates soil literacy, engages citizens, and promotes sustainable soil practices. The project aims to integrate soil health into EU school curricula by 2030, fostering awareness, knowledge, and behavioural changes for a resilient and climate-smart future.
Running from 2024 to 2028, the project emphasizes different priorities each year. Benefits of participation in the Community of practice include early access to educational materials and financial support for national events. Indeed, a key work package “Engaging educational public authorities, policy and decision-makers” will deliver:
- 15 National workshops for the co-creation of recommendations for policymakers with a target attendance of >100 school and university heads
- 1 EU Final Conference with 100+ stakeholders and education policymakers
- 15 National and 1 EU policy briefs with recommendations for policymakers co-developed with school heads and education policy stakeholders
Sónia Rodrigues, CURIOSOIL Coordinator, stressed the importance of soil literacy and encouraged members to leverage their expertise to contribute meaningfully to the project.
Mapping Soil Education Initiatives outside formal educational settings
One of our endeavors is to facilitate meaningful hands-on experiences by collaborating with local initiatives that are actively engaged in soil education within their communities. We believe that community-led initiatives offer unique, context-specific insights and approaches that can enrich soil literacy efforts across Europe.
To achieve this, Sara Silva, project manager at ECOLISE, is leading the mapping of these grassroots initiatives to identify 15 standout projects from different European countries that represent diverse approaches and contexts. These initiatives will receive support to develop demonstration activities, offering valuable insights into non-formal soil education.
- Applications are welcome until the 10th of October at 13h CET.
- Selected initiatives will be announced by the 15th December 13h CET.
Apply here: http://communitiesforfuture.org/CURIOSOIL-Mapping-Soil-Education-Initiatives
Soil Literacy Assessment Framework (SLAF)
Led by Wageningen University, the Soil Literacy Assessment Framework is designed to assess attitudes and behaviors toward soil, aiming to improve soil awareness through educational programs, as well as assessing soil competences like Soil Functions, Soil Diversity, and Soil Health. Drawing from the PISA framework and GreenComp model, it will ensure a structured approach to understanding and promoting soil literacy. It will provide a baseline survey of soil literacy at primary, secondary and tertiary levels at the European scale.
The Assessment Framework will enhance the European sustainability competence framework (GreenComp) by integrating soil-related knowledge and skills for soil literacy assessment. This involves defining core soil literacy components, creating learning objectives, and incorporating them into GreenComp’s existing competence areas. The Assessment Framework aims to provide a common reference for those involved in soil education and training.
Development steps include a literature review, consultations with experts, and identifying soil competences for education programs. The Assessment Framework will also employ the Epistemic Curiosity Scale (ECS) to measure changes in soil curiosity over time, adapting methods to evaluate the effectiveness of soil education initiatives.
It will be rolled out to students, teachers, and the public, with the aim of gathering over 9,500 responses by 2025.
Gathering of Soil Education Resources
Gaia Education, represented by Henrique Cachetas, launched a global initiative to compile digital resources for soil education, inviting contributions in multiple languages. This effort will serve as the foundation for the Soil Curiosity Kit, making educational resources about soil widely accessible and promoting global soil literacy.
The initiative involves a thorough review of existing digital resources in various languages, prioritizing content from Europe and extending to notable examples from countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia. The goal is to identify effective technological solutions that can be adapted for educational continuity worldwide.
To enhance usability, the resources will be classified using a tagging system based on factors such as educational level, language, and difficulty. Once compiled, these resources will be shared on the CURIOSOIL website and with related soil mission projects, further enriching global efforts to improve soil education.
You can support the Gathering of Soil Education Resources here: http://smpl.ro/soil-resources
Join the CURIOSOIL Working Group on Soil & Education Policies!
Harry te Riele, representing ESHA, the European School Heads Association, extended an invitation to CURIOSOIL’s Working Group on Soil & Education Policies. Soil scientists, education experts, policymakers, and educators are welcome to join this collaborative effort to review and analyze the existing regulations, policies, and support mechanisms related to soil education at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels across the EU and HE Associated Countries.
This initiative aims to identify and assess current recommendations, both at the European and national levels, for embedding soil science into educational curricula. By working together in this Working Group, we aim to strengthen soil education and ensure that future generations are equipped with the knowledge they need to address pressing environmental challenges.
What this Working Group will do:
- Analyze national education systems and collect data with the help of educators, school leaders, and educational organizations.
- Review existing educational guidelines, regulations, and, where necessary, school textbooks.
- Collaborate with members of the CURIOSOIL consortium to produce insightful recommendations for enhancing soil science education across Europe.
Synergies with Soil Mission projects: LOESS & ECHO
Olga Huerta (University Hohenheim) presented the ECHO project, Engaging Citizens in soil science: the road to Healthier sOils, a research and innovation initiative co-funded by the European Union, focused on engaging citizens in soil protection and restoration. An open call for ECHO ambassadors was reminded, targeting individuals from Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, and Spain. These ambassadors will co-design local citizen science initiatives and support future citizen scientists in their communities.
Norbert Steinhaus highlighted collaboration opportunities with the LOESS project, Literacy Boost through an Operational Educational Ecosystem of Societal Actors on Soil Health, and the potential learnings through the various Mission Soil and soil health-related projects:
LOESS will host additional project-to-project workshops over the next two years, and you can read about these and all projects related to Mission Soil in their list.
Looking Ahead – National CURIOSOIL Communities of Practice & CoP leaders
The next transnational meeting is scheduled for 12th December, where the Communities of Practice will transform into National initiatives. We will launch a call in October 2024 for individuals with experience in soil education and group facilitation to apply for funded leadership roles within their national Communities of Practice (CoPs). These leaders will be responsible for organizing online meetings, fostering collaboration among local stakeholders, and facilitating the adaptation of CURIOSOIL’s resources to suit their country’s unique needs. With a focus on promoting soil literacy and education, national CoP leaders will play a crucial role in driving the project’s impact at the grassroots level, ensuring broad participation and engagement across different regions. Stay tuned for the call!
And register now for the 2024 Winter meeting of CURIOSOIL Community of Practice
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