transform2gether

“The way we still organize education and structure learning opportunities is not sufficient to enable peaceful societies, a livable planet, and a fair distribution of prosperity,” is UNESCO's conclusion on the pressing issues of our time.

The “transform2gether” project takes this insight as its starting point for key figures in schools. Teachers, head teachers, and school social workers from partner schools in Carinthia, Lower Austria, Tyrol, and Vienna are invited to engage in cross-regional exchange. In microcredential courses developed in a participatory manner, the project team works with participants to explore the possibilities and potential, resistance and barriers, conflicts and solutions of a participatory and democratic school culture.

During the corresponding practical phases, the perspectives gained from the exchange are tested together with the students. Small projects can be developed in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tailored to the respective school location. These could be initiatives for greater gender equality, responsible consumption, or the careful use of resources. It is important that the students start from their own questions that arise in their school and social environment and relate these to global developments. The focus is always on learning as an experience: low-threshold research methods are used to document and reflect on the changes that are stimulated as a result.

In addition to describing learning and educational processes through qualitative methodological approaches, an Austria-wide quantitative accompanying study on teachers' attitudes toward democratic school projects is being conducted. A response group consisting of school principals, teachers, and scientists supports the project team with valuable feedback and provides important assistance in the preparation and interpretation of the study.

All findings from the project will be collected on a digital competence platform and made public. This platform is intended to become a reference point for participation and involvement in schools and beyond – covering topics ranging from kindergarten to higher education, from issues of educational equity to questions of voting rights and the crisis of democracy. The aim of the project is to contribute to the formation of a network of expertise that will continue to exist beyond the project period and make a lasting contribution to participation and democracy through regional, national, and international exchange.