The “FutureFoodS: Schools as enablers for a fair, healthy and sustainable food system” Summer School (7-12 July 2024) aims to familiarise participants with the open schooling and living labs approach that provides a powerful framework for school heads and teachers to engage, discuss and explore: how schools can become innovation incubators and accelerators? The Summer School will present the concept of Schools as Living Labs. Living labs are user-centred, open innovation ecosystems based on a systematic user co-creation approach integrating research and innovation processes in real life communities and settings. We engage the living lab methodology as a technique of crucial value in the heart of initiatives of open schools, which, in cooperation with other stakeholders, aspire to become agents of community well-being by creating new partnerships in their local communities.

 The summer school builds the synergy of open schooling and the living labs methodology by working on the theme of the food system, which is linked to a very topical challenge faced by humanity, of huge societal, environmental and economic importance, as well as of direct relevance to science education and to ambitious current policy making at the European level (FOOD 2030 agenda). The European Commission’s Expert Group working on FOOD 2030 conceptualizes the food system as incorporating ‘all elements and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food, as well as its disposal. This includes the environment, people, processes, infrastructure, institutions and the effects of their activities on our society, economy, landscapes and climates’.

 Further, understanding citizen science and food citizenship is a rather key element that will be introduced. Finally, educational activities will be designed following an inclusive approach based on the Universal Design for Learning principles.

 For more information contact: kriviou@ea.gr

 https://esia.ea.gr/futurefoods-summer-school/

Deadline for application for Erasmus+ funding: February 2024 (expected)