What happens when student teachers from different European countries come together to explore ways of teaching about sustainability? The third year of the SUSTAINABLE FUTURE EDUCATION summer school, held at the Institute of Education and Counselling (IVP) from 14 to 18 September 2026, provided an opportunity to share experiences, discover new perspectives and put different teaching methods into practice.
The programme brought together 24 students of vocational education from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands and Slovakia. They explored the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) and the European GreenComp framework. Following an online gamified course on “Green Skills”, the participants continued with an on-site programme at IVP and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague campus, at the Secondary Horticultural School in Kopidlno, and in the Bohemian Paradise. Working in international teams, the students developed their own teaching units focusing on current environmental issues, drawing on experiential and outdoor learning, action pedagogy, educational games and collaborative learning.
The programme also included activities focusing on mindfulness, stress management and burnout prevention. The summer school therefore connected sustainability with mental well-being and the professional development of future teachers. Thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ programme and cooperation with faculties at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the CZU Counselling Centre and the One World at Schools programme of People in Need, sustainability became not only a subject of learning, but above all a hands-on experience that students can draw on in their future teaching practice.
