The project NAURU GAME for Active Citizenship of Youth was developed to equip educators with an interactive Internet game (New Shors – a Game For Democracy) for increasing participation of youth in tackling the greatest challenges of our century (collaboration towards increased sustainability, climate change mitigation and respect for democratic values). Unlike traditional lecture-based approaches to education, it offers a playful environment for exploring the existing interconnections in the complex global socio-economic and environmental systems. The main priority of the project was to promote empowerment and active citizenship of young people (aged 13-30) by engaging them in an immersive multiplayer Internet game that requires critical thinking, active decision making and communication. Furthermore, the project aimed at promoting open and innovative game-based education and related training for youth workers, embedded in the digital era. The project was implemented from February 2017 to January 2019 by three partners active in the field of innovative non-formal education and systems thinking approach, that is, the Centre for System Solutions (Poland), the Rogers Foundation for Person-Centred Education (Hungary) and TANDEM n.o. (Slovakia). The project assumed two main target groups: 1) direct: educators and other youth leaders willing to use an innovative Internet game in their daily didactic practice, and 1) indirect: young people aged 13-30 (pupils of primary and secondary schools, university students, scouts, etc).The project results include the New Shores – a Game for Democracy, a Methodology Guide for educators, an E-learning platform that hosts a 9-step e-learning course for educators/moderators and a series of supportive Educational Materials (game-based Workshop Scenario, a video tutorial for moderators, instructions for players and moderators, etc.). So far, the game has been tested by 60 educators from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Moreover, 148 educators from the same countries have been trained during face-to-face events in how to prepare and organize game-based workshops in their classrooms. Another 335 users have registered an account on the e-learning platform and gone hrough the e-learning course. As a result, 483 educators altogether were introduced to and/or trained in using their game. The vast majority of them admitted that they believe that the game-based approach to education is effective and attractive to youth and that they feel confident and encouraged to exploit its potential in their classrooms. The project contributed thus to professionalization and up-skilling of educators, especially in reference to their ability to use digital tools in their didactic practice. In addition, the educators recognized that the game has a huge potential to support the youth in gaining or developing selected Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning, namely, social and citizenship, mathematical/science/logical and entrepreneurial ones.

"<< Background >>Environment and climate action are the most urgent priorities of our time. The European Green Deal confirms the EU’s commitment to tackle climate and environment-related challenges. The UN Agenda 2030 emphasises the need to integrate social, environmental and economic aspects to accomplish this goal. For the Green Deal and the UN Agenda 2030 to succeed, involvement and engagement of the public is of utmost importance.Schools contribute significantly to engage pupils, parents and the wider community in a successful sustainable transition. Thus, SDGs are increasingly being integrated into European school curricula. However, often this integration lacks deep pedagogical embeddings and is experienced as a top-down approach. To address pupils in ways they find meaningful, interdisciplinary tools and inquiry-based learning methods linked to real-life problems and decisions of pupils that foster the understanding of complex and interconnected challenges in Europe and the world are needed. Global Citizenship Education (GCE) as a pedagogical approach has the potential to provide a proper methodological tool box for this aim.We address this context by designing an open-access simulation-based learning program for cross-curricular education on sustainable development. It will stimulate citizenship and digital competencies in school for an age group 14-19 with a focus on social inclusion based on the following pedagogical approaches: 1) Combine inquiry-based learning with a methodology that conveys the complexity of sustainable development in a global dimension: Teacher trainings today still often lack pedagogical approaches that address the increasing linkages and competing interests in the world, rather than dealing with isolated problems of sustainable development.2) Develop inclusive methods of learner-centred teaching in GCE: In order to “Leave no one behind” there is a need for high-quality (digital) learning resources and competence development that is inclusive of all types of learners. Recent studies on the effects of the Covid-19 crisis highlighted that digitalisation in schools can widen the gap for underprivileged young people if the diversity of learner’s needs is not considered.3) Strengthen citizenship engagement in school through critical reflection, global perspectives and information literacy: To promote a sustainable future, young people not only need knowledge on the SDGs, but also the competencies to act as informed citizens (UNESCO, 2018). However, teachers are often challenged by a political disenchantment among young citizens. They need methodological skills, to transmit knowledge on the Agenda 2030 and to motivate, engage and teach youth how to participate in civic and democratic life towards a sustainable future for all.To promote a sustainable future, all young people need knowledge on the SDGs and civic competencies to engage in society as informed citizens (UNESCO, 2018). We therefore combine digital learning and teaching resources on sustainable development with citizenship competencies within an inclusive approach so as to address the needs of the following target groups:1) Teachers, who need training in experience-led, learner-centered learning methods engaging complex real-world topics, focussing on cognitive aspects as well as social and emotional learning;2) Pupils aged 14-19 from a diverse array of school types, including vocational schools and schools in socially disadvantaged areas so as to strengthen competences to engage in behaviour supporting global sustainability;3) Early career scientists and teacher training students that need support in strengthening inclusive pedagogical approaches in global development and in learning how to create connections between real world problems and the complexity of the SDGs;4) Stakeholders in education systems as well as experts in GCE, who need high- quality educational materials that can be implemented on a large scale in European school systems<< Objectives >>Our project’s objectives are: 1) To develop the GCE approach towards an inclusive approach through a digital learning program that considers the diversity of real life and needs of young people in Europe since so far GCE tends to be implemented in elitist school contexts.2) To enable teachers to use experience-led learning methods in GCE, focussing not only on cognitive aspects but also on social and emotional learning 3) Foster citizenship competencies in order to stimulate youth participation for a sustainable future4) Contribute to the cross-curricular implementation of the GCE approach in European school systems5) Provide skills for teacher educators and scientists working on the grand challenges of a sustainable global future to use the interdisciplinary GCE approach in teacher training and science outreach activities To achieve the objectives the project is carried out transnationally by the four partner institutions ÖFSE, CRS, RFP and KUW all disposing of highly specialized profiles, as well as complementary expertise. Special benefits are the sharing of knowledge among partners and the dissemination of the project results and the implementation of the learnings on a large scale in Europe. Our expertise profiles link to the objectives as follows:CRS is an expert in developing and applying innovative methods and tools, such as serious games and social simulations. The online social simulation based on scientific data developed in the project allows pupils to experience a bird's eye on how and why actions influence a sustainable life and global developments. Its design activates collaboration and supports critical and constructive dialogue. This contributes to the development of a model on how to implement GCE in school practice. RFP has experience in educators’ training and applies comprehensive approaches that include sustainability education, game-based learning, drama pedagogy and person-centered education. They contribute know-how on methodology in teachers training to enable them to use experience-led learning methods for cross-curricular education on sustainable development in a global dimension. ÖFSE’s experience in educational work on topics of international development that creates a bridge between youth engagement, researchers, volunteers, activists and decision makers helps to design a learning program that allows for a change of perspective of the learners, encourages critical thinking and fosters citizenship competencies. Methodologically, its expertise in peer-to-peer learning and involving the target group in co-creation processes as well as making excluded voices visible contribute to foster citizenship competencies. KUW’s experience in reducing obstacles and promoting access for young people to education and science supports the project's approach to develop GCE in school towards an inclusive cross-curricular subject that considers the diversity of life worlds and needs of young people. In addition, KUW’s expertise in working with young people having refugee/migration experience supports the involvement of disadvantaged groups in the co-creation process in the project. Its cooperation with the Centre for Teacher Education at the University of Vienna ensures the provision of skills for teacher educators and scientists to use the interdisciplinary GCE approach in teacher training in all school subjects. Via our networks the project will reach out to stakeholders in the field of education and science in Europe: KUW administrates the European Network of Children’s Universities (EUCU.NET) in 40 European countries reaching out to 530.000 young people and 14.000 academics. RFP’s network of teacher and educator training providers contributes to the objective to promote cross-curricular implementation of the GCE approach in European school systems. Other important networks for the project’s outreach are: the European School Heads Association (ESHA), GENE and the UNESCO ASPnet.<< Implementation >>Our project develops, implements and disseminates an online learning program for cross-curricular GCE in schools for pupils aged 14-19. In addition, we support teachers with training and materials, enabling them to put the learning program into practice. Further, we conduct a broad range of dissemination activities.According to the main target groups, objectives and tasks, the project will develop five categories of project activities: 1) Production of 5 results with a focus on co-creation and piloting activities2) Training activities in multiplier events3) Dissemination activities in multiplier events4) Other dissemination activities (online promotion, education conferences, local and regional school board events)5) Project management activitiesIn the following, we list expected achievements in these categories of activities:Ad1. -) 5 project results will be realized. The co-creation and piloting activities will involve teachers and pupils in all results. They enable teachers to contribute to implementing GCE in school practice. By this, teachers and pupils are strengthened to actively engage in a sustainable future for all. -) Questionnaires for teachers’ and pupils’ feedback will be developed and used for feedback loops. It will be complemented by detailed feedback in interviews and debriefing sessions. An ongoing evaluation of the project activities and the results will be conducted and prove the program's achievements.Ad2. -) 4 of the 6 multiplier events are planned as teacher trainings (one day workshops), 150 participants (teachers) are expected. Thus, teachers at national and regional level become multipliers for the learning program in Austria, Hungary and Poland.-) In the multiplier events different perspectives, ideas and good practices are identified and will be implemented by the education staff in the classroom and in other educational projects. An inclusive approach will be disseminated, multiplied and expanded. Ad3.-) The program will be disseminated in 2 conferences with 200 participants (e.g. stakeholder in education, school masters, scientists) from the partner countries and beyond-) The direct involvement of stakeholders during the project will spread the use of the learning program, which will, in turn, improve schooling possibilities in the specific field of citizenship education.-) The program is suitable and easily transferable into non-formal learning settings. The modular and open design allows adaptations and remixes: different perspectives can be enriched, information can be updated. These are important aspects for long-lasting dissemination. Ad4. -) All results will be open-access; an online learning platform is implemented and will be visited by a broad number of users. The platform facilitates the easy use of all results-) Result 5, the “What we recommend” manual, is specially targeted to share experience and knowledge gained in the project with different stakeholders-) A large-scale roll-out of the project results can be expected to be achieved by the dissemination activities in cooperation with various transnational networks from European countries and beyond. This will stimulate the implementation of the SDGs in their programs. Networking and dissemination activity on EU policy-level ensures a systemic impact; a central goal of the project is to implement GCE in the teaching practices of schools across all EU member states. Ad5.-) In order to assess whether and to what extent, the project reaches its objectives and results, a detailed project-monitoring plan will be implemented. In addition, a quality management plan will define the level of quality to be attained and describe how the project will ensure this.-) All project results will be open access and will be published under a Creative Commons (CC) license, allowing the widest possible dissemination.<< Results >>In terms of results, the project produces an open-access simulation-based learning program for cross-curricular education on sustainable development. It will stimulate citizenship and digital competencies in school for an age group 14-19 with a focus on social inclusion. The program is primarily addressing (1) teachers and provides them with comprehensive training and (2) youth who is empowered through active learning environments. Both become participants as main target groups in co-creation and piloting activities. In more detail, the learning program consists of:1) The ""Making Europe's Future Sustainable!” simulation (R1) - digital social simulation focused on the SDGs;2) Teacher`s Toolkit (R2) - practical training material for teachers;3) The “Making Europe's Future Sustainable!” Online Learning Materials (R3) - digital, interactive learning materials for pupils;4) Online Learning Platform (R4) – an open-access platform, where all materials will be presented in a structured way5) “What we recommend” (R5) – a policy and implementation manual The education program will be available in English and in the languages of the partners (Polish, Hungarian and German). It is designed for the flexible implementation in school curricula in different school types and across countries. Via the Online Learning Platform, all materials will be accessible open access and independent of location or platform (PC, tablet, smartphone). In terms of learning outcomes, the program promotes the development of knowledge and skills, which are of particular importance for young European pupils, guiding them to become change agents in the transition towards a sustainable future. These include:1) Knowledge on the UN’s 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs: We live in an increasingly globalised world where cross border problems and challenges must be addressed by joint, multilateral political measures. Therefore, young people need knowledge and skills to understand, participate in and interact critically with our global society as empowered global citizens. To prevent young people from losing confidence in (inter)national institutions, we base our project on the methodology of GCE. It focuses on supporting active learning and encourages reflection through the active participation of learners and educators.2) Digital competences, in particular literacy to assess information and data; communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills: since we live in a highly digitalized and information-intensive and highly interconnected world such competences form a basis to act as a responsible citizen. 3) Citizenship competence, in particular the ability to engage effectively with others, critical thinking and integrated problem-solving skills, skills to develop arguments, and decision-making skills: these competences are the key to enable each citizen to act in a constructive way in our democratic society and actively participate in a sustainable and inclusive transition. In terms of implementation and dissemination, multiplier events with teachers, teacher-training institutions and stakeholders will be organized. 6 events are planned: 4 train the trainer workshops will qualify teachers to use the learning program in class (150 multipliers); 2 conferences aim at a large-scale roll-out in Europe (200 direct participants). In addition, at least 50.000 persons will learn about project results through various dissemination activities. In terms of sustainability and transferability the learning platform is published on the CRSs platform learn.socialsimulations.org regularly financed by The Sendzimir Foundation grant, enabling future users to access the result also after the project ends. All project partners use the platform even after the project ends and ensures the regular updates. The project consortium will share their experience gained during the project with different stakeholders. The manual (R5) is especially designed towards this goal."

Sustainable development is among the grand challenges of the next decades. To come closer to achieving that state, the EU is committed to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the European policy framework and current Commission priorities. Moreover, special attention is paid to means for the achievement of the SDGs, their universal application to all countries and the simultaneous address of the economic, environmental and societal dimensions of sustainability. Thus, there is the need of not only raising awareness, but acquiring a sustainability literacy, in the sense of a functional education that will provide the necessary skills and motives to cope with the challenges of and contribute to sustainable development. As a result, it is essential to provide an innovative pedagogy to students of higher education that will be the policy makers of tomorrow. In particular, their education should be exploring sustainability and the complexity among its different dimensions; moreover, it should provide the necessary means for the students to experience processes of complex decision making, sharpen, their clarity of thought, enhance their communication abilities and help them develop critical thinking as well as key competences to address the complexities of sustainable development. This type of education needs to become a learning process move towards being transformed into a more experiential and student-centered way of learning: thus helping students to constantly assess the environment, operating and adapting to it through processes of revision from their frames of reference and provide the appropriate materials to comprehend systemic complexity. The objective of the SUSTAIN project is to commence and promote sustainable literacy among students of higher education (and young people in general) through an innovative and student-centered education. To achieve this objective, we will design, develop and implement a course to be taught in students of higher education; a course hybrid in nature, as it will combine game-based learning with an analytical style of education. In detail: 1) The course will deal with transportation sustainability, societal metabolism and decision making under those contexts. The purpose will be to teach students the definitions of those notions, how they are translated in everyday life, and formalize the mathematics necessary to make robust decisions. 2) The project team will develop small, illustrative simulation models that will make the definitions more concrete and allow students to experiment in a consequence-free environment. The simulation models can be used to identify scenario exemplars on how we can achieve sustainable urban transportation and a balanced societal metabolism, while taking into account formal decision making process. Thus, greater insights will be provided to the policy makers of the future regarding the complexities of decisions in uncertain issues where many stakeholders are involved. 3) The approach of the SUSTAIN project is hybrid and as such the material develop so far, will be translated, in elements and mechanics of a Serious Game. The purpose is to create a board game that will allow students to learn about transportation sustainability and societal metabolism through playing. One important aspect of the design of the game it will be that it will avoid to be just an informational/fact-delivering game; the core design principle will combine delivery of facts with experiential elements that will allow students to explore their own sustainability goals and the means to achieve them. The project team envisages that the impact of the project will be in three ares: - At the European (and EU) level, the project will provided added value in the efforts of the EU to disseminate the principles of sustainability, while at the same time educate the future generation of policy makers to be better equipped to promote and achieve the SDGs. Furthermore, the project will continue the effort for an enhanced education that will utilize and incorporate the principles of game-based learning and IC Technologies. - For the partners of the project, the impact will take the form of a strengthened cooperation and networking of different organizations among different European countries and with different scopes and experiences. At the same time, it will strengthen the role of the participating partners in their respective areas, as the project will bring cutting-edge research closer to students and citizens. - Finally, for the students that will participate in the project, the new course will provide a more student-centered education that will inform them on important EU and global issues, and at the same time help teach them develop the key competences to deal with complex situations that they will have to face. The project will bring them in touch with the work performed by the partners and connect them with other facets of the European culture.

MultiFutures systematically broadens the scope for policy action towards sustainable societies by assessing and developing transition scenarios based on alternative economic paradigms. This involves extending established transition scenarios (e.g. the EC's 'Long term strategic vision' scenarios or the IEA’s net zero scenarios) to include alternative economic paradigms that are based on a wide spectrum of sound economic and social theories and have demonstrated potential to address global challenges. These paradigms introduce new policy options and instruments, which we aim to critically assess regarding their relevance, effectiveness, and potential trade-offs. The project will proceed through four main steps. First, we use state-of-the-art AI language tools and qualitative methods to map alternative paradigms and develop a paradigm taxonomy. Second, desired futures are extended into quantified transition scenarios using a set of 'beyond GDP' indicators to assess the potential for achieving a climate-neutral, just, and resilient society. Thirdly, stakeholder engagement through anticipatory systems mapping and social simulations will be used to co-create alternative futures and develop concrete policies that balance trade-offs, mitigate negative impacts, and enable dissemination and implementation. In addition, a large-scale survey of >18,000 citizens in Europe provides insights into public perception and acceptance of alternative paradigms and transition policies. Fourth, state-of-the-art modelling will be integrated to assess the economic, environmental, technological and social impacts of alternative paradigms and policies from a well-being perspective, including their environmental and social justice implications. Ultimately, MultiFutures provides policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of alternative paradigms and a broader range of policy options to accelerate progress towards a climate-neutral, just, and resilient society.