Transgenerational Cooperations
Webinar 10th September 2019. Notes from Jonas Andreasen Lysgaard — keynote speaker.
Notes from Jonas A. Lysgaard
Transgenerational
- Multidisciplinarity draws on knowledge from different disciplines but stays within their boundaries. Interdisciplinarity analyzes, synthesizes and harmonizes links between disciplines into a coordinated and coherent whole. Transdisciplinarity integrates the natural, social and health sciences in a humanities context, and transcends their traditional boundaries
- “Transgenerational cooperation” as integrating natural, social and ecological perspectives of different generations and combining them in a context that transcends their traditional barriers?
- Between generations at live or between the past-current and all future generations?
Cooperations
- The action or process of working together for the same end.
- Assistance, especially by complying readily with requests.
- In economy: Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations.
Sustainability vs sustainable development
- Static solutions towards changing processes
- Sustainability as demanding sacrifice, abstinence — consumption, pre-disposed lifestyle choices
- Sustainability as sacrifice? Authenticity, survival, something more?
- Dilemmas of sustainable development:
Sustain vs development
Intergenerational
Resources
Global vs local
Technology vs everyday lived life
- ESD1 vs ESD 2
- Educational systems as ways of entering into a dialogue with the future.
UN Trends in ESD — Report 2018
- The lifelong learning focus on quality education is not intended to devalue the foundational importance of key competencies such as literacy and numeracy. Rather, it provides a critique of the philosophical proposition that the primary goal of education is knowledge transmission and, instead, asserts that education must provide each generation with the capacities and skills to improve on the work of previous generations and overcome the most pressing challenges of their time.
- Community Learning Centres (CLCs) exist in many countries but are concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region. While each CLC is unique and has functions to meet specific local needs, the universal function of CLCs is to facilitate the establishment of safe and effective learning environments A lot of talk about the needs of future generations, but very little about how to establish transgenerational links or even cooperations. for multi-generational gatherings and non-formal education in local communities. As of 2009, there were over 28,000 CLCs supporting actual grassroots implementation of ESD practices.
- Gardens as sites of intergenerational learning on water consumption in south Africa
- Multimedia for intergenerational learning in Mexio.
- Position of youth: While it is important to engage with youth at all stages of decision-making, it is also critical to help them differentiate between activist approaches and research-backed responsible action. Mentoring is an important tool to facilitate knowledge transfer and guidance. It can help to position and engage with youth in a meaningful manner and avoid intergenerational conflicts.
UNESCO ESDG — Report 2017
- Box 1.2.11b. Examples of learning approaches and methods for SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” Excursions to ecovillages and other “living laboratories”, to waste water treatment plants and other service centres to show current and best practice Develop and run a (youth) action project on sustainable cities and communities Invite older generations in to talk about how the settlement has changed over time. Ask them about their connection to the bioregion. Use art, literature and history to explore the settlement area and its changes
Nordic youth — Report 2019
- Klimabarometeret
>>> Young people aged 18–29 are more concerned about the climate
· Feel politicians should be more ambitious
· Are prepared to prioritize soecietal ressources for sust.
· A greater belief in individual actions and lifestyle choices compared to technological developments.
- Sustaianble changemakers — council of Nordic ministers
>>> 88% of youth concerned about:
· Plastics in the ocean
· Global warmning
· Loss of biodiversity
· Overconsumption
· Air pollution
· Climate injustice
· Stress
· lack of political action
93 sust. Lifestyle important
83 ready to take more action
Only few % active in protests
>>> Inspiration from young role models
· Activists
· Bloggers
· Influencers
· Being part of communities
· Personal gains
· Entrepreneurs
· Politicians
· Students
· Professional workers
>>> Lack of adult role model in politics.
- Barriers:
47% find sustainable living difficult
25% find it easy
- Barriers include:
>>> Not money or lack of information but:
Sustainable products
Certifications
Political reforms
Regulation
- Politicians need to take action primarily
>>> How to become a sustainable changemaker?
Choose hope and a positive approach
Believe in individual effects
Step by step development
Explore a more sustainable lifestyle
Chage your values gradually
Act — don’t preach
Push for systemic change
>>> To politicians
Listen to and involve young people
Make sustainable choice easier
Promote a cultural shift
Invest in a green future
Introduce CO2 taxes for companies
Make climate as important as economics
Increase global cooperation
Transgenerational Knowledge and cooperation
>>> Transgenerational understanding is one of the most straightforward and hardest issues in sustainability.
Passing down knowledge is one thing another thing is jumping 50 or 100 years into the future
“Into eternity”: A film for the future. 2010 Michael Madsen. Onkalo waste repository he world’s first 4 km deep permanent repository is being hewn out of solid rock — a huge system of underground tunnels — that must last the entire period the waste remains hazardous: 100,000 years.
This film explores the question of preparing the site so that it is not disturbed for 100,000 years, even though no structure in human history has stayed standing for such a long period.
Communicating the dangers of nuclear waste far into the future, as well as the great dangers of handling the by-products of nuclear energy.
Michael Madsen:
“What do we say about ourselves when we create something that will outlast everything we understand? That may be the last thing that remains of our society?”
Links & sources:
UNESCO Education for sustainable development goals report 2017:
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247444
UNESCO Issues and trends in education for sustainable development report 2018:
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261445
Nordic Youth as sustainable changemakers report 2019:
https://www.norden.org/en/publication/nordic-youth-sustainable-changemakers
