Reporting from the parallel sessions

1. Reporting from the parallel sessions Aspirations and actions

2. Thematic discussions

3. Climate Change • Each RCE is responsible for coming up with a report of best practices (ex: initiatives, strategies, projects, hand-print/foot-print calculators, indicators, teacher training, presentations, formalized educational courses, etc.) with respect to addressing climate change for the RCE portal. Deadline December 2012. (Audience: RCEs). • For countries with existing national action plans (incl. work plans) to address climate change, RCEs will partner with government on the implementation (ex: NAPA) and report on such actions within one year. ESD actions should be a priority, but not exclusive. • Prepare a publication for government policymakers (and multinational agencies) to show the changing lifestyles of people because of climate change. Draft deadline: March 2013. • Produce a publication/book of documented activities to share what RCEs are doing with respect to climate change with each other and the general public (business, media, stakeholders). (Audience: General Public). This could be done later on & should be a compilation of actionable point 1. • Be very visible to the media (Media publicity). Show that RCEs are key stakeholders in addressing climate change. This is a recommendation to the communications group.

4. Teacher Education • Leadership development resources and program – action on TLSHE in Teacher Education Departments in universities and colleges (South Africa/Southern Africa) – Action: Tich (RCE KwaZulu Natal) • Student Exchange and Staff Exchange - Action: RCE Severn (Ingrid) • Sharing videos, narratives, stories, case studies on what works – teacher educators and their leaders talking about successful approaches to Teacher Education for ESD – use this more directly as a selling point to key leaders – Action: RCE Graz-Styria (Marlene) and RCE Denmark (Niels Larsen in collaboration with Angule Gabriel) • Replicate TLSHE in other contexts – look for the successful leaders in the community to support RCEs role in ESD and work out together how to convince a targeted list of leaders to support ESD in Teacher Education

5. Sustainable consumption and production and livelihoods • Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) – the group will be formed to further explore the issue and identify actions • Innovative educational processes (focus on formal education) – RCEs form China, Korea and Japan will focus on the ESD- Inspired changes in curricula, education of teachers, informal education • Up scaling SCP and livelihood practices – documenting practices of up scaling (in texts, videos, photos) and analyzing them • Capacity development for SCP and livelihood practices – research of transformative practices in capacity development (project concept and a search for funders) • Social and community enterprises – facilitation of learning through documentation and exchange of the lessons using the RCE Portal

6. Youth • Involving youth in decision making processes in governance at the school level and providing them with platforms for innovation • Empower and encourage them • Four RCE regional youth coordinators have been nominated for steering the discussion on RCE youth initiatives

7. Higher Education • Student and staff exchange site/project between RCEs (contact: Ingrid Mula, RCE Severn) • needs and skills on offer • produce a good practice handbook from these practices – online • contact the international program offices in each RCE – University • Use the RCE concept and international network as a key focus for each university’s engagement strategy (contact: Dawn Gaymer, RCE Grand Rapids) • put a paper in the HE Journal on sustainability – role of RCE’s in University’s engaged learning and research strategies • Use of the RCE Portal to share successful strategies for engagement and projects (contact: Marlene Mader, RCE Graz-Styria) • Distribute the TLSHE study to RCE – HE colleagues (contact: Geoff Scott, RCE Western Sydney) • particular focus on the strategies and incentives that will engage the senior players • Be present in international conferences (contact: Ingrid Mula, RCE Severn) • e.g. run a parallel session next year at GUNI

8. Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge and ESD • RCEs are actively working in various areas related to bio-cultural diversity • RCE Kyrgyzstan – traditional knowledge • RCE Penang – traditional health and food • RCE Espoo – heritage education • RCE Bohol – Organic agriculture, food • RCE Shangri-La – Community heritage education • RCE Guatemala – Mayan heritage education • RCE Yogyakarta – documentation of local wisdom • RCE Greater Phnom Penh – Recycling natural resources • RCE Chubu – Cyber dialogue lecture series • RCE Lesotho – Wetlands and birds conservation • RCE Chandigarh – Wetlands conservation • RCE Kakamega – Medicinal plant conservation • RCE Kitakyushu – apply Satoyama values in city life • RCE Denmark – Eco-farming • Capacity building, linkage with policy processes and research publications should be key • focal areas for future work • Create a panel and network of experts to advance the activities

9. Disaster Risk Reduction • RCEs to take up a proactive role in mobilizing political will and support for community related DRR initiatives • RCEs to take up action projects on vulnerability reduction like preparing local volunteers with appropriate training and capacity building • Cross continental documentation of ‘Good Practices” related to DRR • RCE members belonging to higher education institutes should carry out research on Disaster Management in local context

10. Health and ESD • RCEs are evolved in diverse projects related to health and ESD. • The major areas in this theme include TK and health, environment , sanitation, water and health, inclusive community health and wellbeing, health interventional research • Inter-RCE projects have to be encouraged and focus should be on documentation of good practices, capacity building and policy engagement.

11. Inclusive Development & Learning • - Learning as ongoing process stimulated by including excluded knowledge / groups • - Analyse old and contemporary ownership concepts and bring back excluded people, common ownership concepts • - Inclusion of disabled in regular schools (e.g. in Germany, Japan, Netherlands)

12. Continental discussions

13. African continental meeting Participants

14. Highlights of the meeting • Collaboration in research and projects in areas of • Leadership in ESD • Sustainable agriculture and food security • Social and cultural issues • Disease and health issues • Teacher education (Primary and secondary, e.g. TLSHE) • Writing of capacity development modules to be completed by December 2012 • Preparation for the 8th RCE Global conference – Nairobi Kenya

15. Americas • Regularized continental meetings: RCE Lima-Callao hosting Continental Meeting (Feb. 27-March 1, 2013) and RCE-Curitiba-Paraná “ESD Interactions in Post-Rio+20 context” (April/May 2013) • Compilation of best practices/resources from RCEs on: (1) ESD and Indigenous youth, (2) indicators and competencies for teachers and schools, (3) cases relating ESD and quality education, & (4) living learning laboratories • Connecting with World Business Council on Sustainable Development of Columbia; collaboration on social entrepreneurship

16. Asia-Pacific

17. Asia-Pacific • Further develop the Asia-Pacific vision paper through the RCE Portal communications (work in progress) Recognizing the global ESD initiatives, the Asia-Pacific regional platform promotes perspective on SD though collaborations among RCEs and partners while preserving Asia-pacific culture and way of life based on traditional wisdom/traditional knowledge of co-existence. • Undertake concrete collaboration projects in the AP region (and beyond): • Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge; (2) Youth; (3) Community; (4) Formal Education; (5) Disaster Risk Reduction

18. Europe • New Coordinator is Detlev Lindau Bank from RCE Oldenburger Muensterland (Germany) • The RCE Network Portal should be the primary communication source for the European RCE Community • European continental meetings should be organiced back to back with other Conferences to increase communication • The Tongyeong Positioning paper will be sent to all RCEs for comments and additional input • A mechanism for peer appraisal for closer engagement and support structure should be developed • Other Conferences and external Partners should be used, to present the RCE movement.

19. Intercontinental discussion • We don’t know what we don’t know: We need to make it easier for RCEs to know what projects/expertise etc are available in other areas – the RCE Portal should have a simple marketplace or “classifieds” areas where RCEs can easily figure out what kind of expertise/projects/etc exist • There are many challenges to collaboration – fundraising, cultural constraints, language etc – and RCEs involved in these types of projects have to be willing to accept failures, take time to build trust and focus on small, practical ach5evab3e –r61cts • RCEs should commit themselves to preparing a one paragraph abstract on every new project that an RCE is working on, to be shared with all RCEs

20. Strategies to implement visions of the RCE community

21. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT - Priorities For Action Establish a database for sharing capacity development materials and resources. RCEs to provide web sites for materials Cultivate capacity development community forum discussions using RCE portal Produce publication based on capacity development case studies (RCE Mumbai to take lead)

22. Appraisals and assessments • Initiate online discussion on RCE appraisal on the RCE Portal • Share experiences of assessment that is already in practice around the world, e.g. RCE Greater Western Sydney, RCE Okayama, RCE KwaZuluNathal, RCE Greater Nairobi • Propose pilot project by RCE greater Western Sydney on assessment of impact of ESD practices to the RCEs community for participation • Initiate process of mapping competences (agree on the framework)

23. Research and Development:Opportunities Identified • Comparative research examining relationship of types of RCE governance to leadership and partner engagement • Appropriate methods of sustainable technology infusion and research dissemination in communities • Collaborative development of indicators as a learning process • Comparative studies on good ESD practices in schools • Evolution of the RCE concept • Kinds of social learning/participatory tools and methods employed by RCEs

24. GOVERNANCE - Priorities For Action Carry out comparative research on RCE governance and explore what is currently working (RCE Service Centre) Share research on what makes a ‘productive’ partnerships with reference to RCEs (RCE Greater Western Sydney) Implement module on governance in African RCEs

25. Engagement with Policy MakersConcrete Actions • Prioritized orientation of politicians, civil servants and influentials • Strategic engagement of relevant ministries such as ministry of education and non governmental organization • Advocate legislation supporting ESD and ensuring implementation • Youth leadership program integrating ESD

26. Operational issues

27. Fundraising & Marketing • Identify leader to identify and share information on companies interested in corporate partnerships. Action: Lin Yun Hua(Shangri-La and Tichaona Pesanayi, KZN-South Africa/SADC REEP) • Establish database / portal for networking.Action: Thomas to share info on RCE reporting on portal. • Develop fundraising partnerships between North and South (e.g. DFID) – develop corporative framework for raising funds. Provide information which van link RCEs in the North and in the South. Action: Prof Alimullah Miyan (IUBAT University) RCE Greater Dhaka, Jose Phillipines, Tichaona Pesanayi, KZN-SADC REEP, RCE Munich • Form stronger international RCE networks between RCEs. Action: RCE Service centre

28. Communications & Outreach Action Points • Simplify Portal design (UNU-IAS) • Create support to solve RCE problems with using the Portal (CWG) • Explore idea of finding a “harvester” of ESD content (UNU-IAS & CWG) • Create RCE Communications Group within each RCE that link to the wider CWG (RCE Greater Nairobi)

29. Engagement with international sustainability processes Approach other networks - Be present/partner/collaborate with other sustainable networks - UNU to talk with ICLEI - Identify RCE’ networks strengths and expertise - Future Earth Launch - Sustainability Solutions Network - Earth Charter - Business Council for Sustainable Development/ICC - Global Compact Initiative Conferences - GUNI 0May 16-18, 2013 (RCE Barcelona) - BBCC/RCE EU June 4-7, 2013 - UNESCO APEID (Bangkok) (Parallel RCE sessions?) - RCE Americas Meeting (~Feb 2013, Lima, Peru) - UN for ESD Conferences (Link RCEs to them) - COP 11 (India) - 8th Global RCE Conference (Kenya) (Nov 3-6) - Research workshop for regional learning for sustainability (May 16-17, 2013) (Germany) Global RCE Youth movement - YUVA Meet - UNEP Tunza Youth - OIKOS - WSC-SD (World Student Community for Sustainable Development) - IUCN Young Professionals - Youth Employment Summit - attract students and universities for exchanges and research - Framework Concerning Youth and Sustainable Development - Bridge to the World International/UN Communication Experts for RCE Global Conference - Develop Global Standard ppt/videos for external communications - Invite major news agencies/oultlets/press releases/public service announcements/student and community papers - Delegate a team of each RCE members/journalist students? for international media relations

30. Award • Should not be competitive • Leads to promotion of the RCEs’ practices and learning • Minimum standard is to be set and the criteria have to be carefully defined • Legitimate panel to assess • Followed by publications • Clear instruction manual to be developed

31. 2014 and beyond • RCEs are about collective learning for sustainability through and towards diversity • How to sustain it? • …at the local level • …at the continental level • … globally