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The LEVERS for Climate Action project explores how local learning ecosystems can enable engagement, learning and action on the subject of climate change.
Key information
The EU-funded project involves nine European hubs - called Learning Ventures - which are each working in partnership with a small number of organisations from the education, community, industry and government sectors.
The aim of the LEVERS project is to equip learners to be proactive, engaged participants in climate action. It does this by providing both scientific knowledge and broad, holistic skills-based training.
Recognising that education extends beyond formal schooling, LEVERS emphasises the importance of lifelong learning. It creates and supports environments for both youth and adult learning opportunities.
The Climate Action Unit's involvement
The UCL Climate Action Unit's role in this project is to help Learning Ventures to effectively bridge the gaps between science education, policy decision-making and community action. We are heavily involved with two large components of the wider LEVERS project.
In the first of those, we are helping to build the capacity of Learning Ventures to collaborate with different types of stakeholders in education, research, industry, and community groups. We are doing this by developing training programmes to enhance communication and collaboration skills; utilising neuroscience insights to do so. We are also supporting Ventures by providing mentorship through the duration of the LEVERS project.
In the second, we are working with the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) to collaboratively design and deliver a training course for educators who want to engage adult learners about the subjects of climate and environmental justice.
Who else is involved?
The Levers for Climate Action (LEVERS) project is a collaborative initiative involving a diverse consortium of organisations across Europe. It is coordinated from the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin.
The nine european Ventures are:
- Stickydot Srl (Belgium)
A company specialised in science communication and public engagement
- Centre for Social Innovation (Cyprus)
An organisation which fosters social innovation and sustainable development
- LATRA EE (Greece)
An interdisciplinary organisation focused on art, technology and sustainability
- Trinity College Dublin - School of Education (Ireland)
An educational institution driving research innovation in education
- Centre for the Promotion of Science (Serbia)
An organisation focused on science education and public understanding of science
- Forth Together (UK)
A Community Interest Company working on collaborative approaches to sustainability
- Kersnikova Institute for Culture, Arts and Education (Slovenia)
A non-governmental organisation which combines arts, science and technology to foster innovation
- Onl'fait (Switzerland)
A makerspace promoting hands-on learning and sustainable practices
- Expolab Ciencia Viva Science Centre (Portugal)
An agency promoting public awareness of science and technology
The two other core organisations involved are:
- UCL Climate Action Unit - a university unit applying psychological and systems science to enhance climate decision-making
- European Association for the Education of Adults - an organisation advocating for adult learning and education across Europe
The figure above reflects the current reach of the LEVERS project. Each red node represents one of the nine Learning Ventures. The orange nodes represent each of the partner organisations the Ventures are working with.
Guiding principles of the LEVERS programme
The LEVERS project is centred on the idea that the urgent, system-wide responses to climate change must prioritise social justice and collaboration to ensure fairness. At the heart of this approach are several guiding principles.
| A holistic learning framework | LEVERS develops an open-schooling framework that integrates formal and informal learning, ensuring science education is accessible, lifelong, and action-oriented. |
|---|---|
| Empowering regional partnerships | LEVERS fosters cross-sectoral collaborations where local businesses, NGOs, and research institutions work together to make science education more practical and impactful. |
| Climate justice as a central theme | Recognising the social inequalities linked to climate change, LEVERS ensures that education is not just about knowledge but also about agency, participation, and social change. |
| Mentorship and capacity building | Through structured mentoring programmes in LEVERS, professionals from research and industry help learners and educators to develop the skills needed to drive climate solutions in their communities. |
| Long-term impact and sustainability | LEVERS aims to embed systemic change into local education policies. It is also establishing sustainable models for continued collaboration beyond the project’s duration. |
Find out more
To discover more about the LEVERS project, visit the webpage: https://leversforclimate.eu/about/ where you can find a range of news items and resources.
