Global development dynamics link our choices and our actions to the lives of millions of people worldwide. Interconnections in the era of digital proximity and information goes hand-in-hand with a number of contradictions and disproportions: poverty, climate change and migration are all elements of an increasingly globalised society. The current food system has a negative impact on the environment and people’s health. Over 800 million people go hungry every day, while in some countries food is wasted more than ever before. Farmers’ and consumers’ rights are threatened worldwide.
The whole action of EAThink2015 aims at preparing European students and teachers to face their responsibilities as citizens of a globalised society. The rapid and contradictory changes of our contemporary world are multilayered and in order to take action to change the critical situations, it is of great importance to correctly interpret those events. The role of education and educators becomes central in encouraging young people to develop their own critical tools, necessary to become aware of their role as citizens of our global society. More specifically, the general objectives of EAThink2015 are the following:
- Contribute to increase European youth awareness of and engagement in the post-2015 public debate on the contribution of the European Union’s development cooperation policies to global sustainable development.
- Enhance European students’ and teachers’ critical understanding of and active engagement in global development challenges, focusing on sustainable food systems and smallholder farming.
- On a broader level, the project aims at strengthening the skills and knowledge of teachers in primary and secondary schools as part of Global Citizenship Education.