Rationale of the project INSPIRE

The Faure-commission of UNESCO stated that informal learning forms about 70 % of all human learning processes. Thus, strengthening informal learning at schools is likely to improve the overall impact of school education. There have been to date few studies which quantify and qualify the positive impact of informal learning, a learning which often takes place at out-of-class and in learning locations such as museums, centres of environmental education or sciences centres, which are known to foster learning and knowledge transfer by means of entertainment and hands-on experiences.

When one considers themes which are of increasingly relevance and great importance to pupils such as renewable energy or climate change, it can be seen that informal education can offer a welcome complement to the usual classroom based programmes. Climate change and - connected to climate change - the efficient use of energy, have become important features, especially after the latest IPCC-reports and the climate change conferences in Bali (December 2007) and Bangkok (April 2008). It is on the basis of the perceived need to foster informal learning on renewable energy and climate change that the project "Inspire School Education by Non-formal Learning" (INSPIRE) has been conceived.

The efficient use of energy and renewable energies, as as well as climate issues will serve as the subject matters of this project. It will analyse the current potential and informa-tion/material needs on these issues and create tailor-made training materials and organise training courses for teachers. The approach of energy and climate issues covers social as well as scientific competences and - regarding the threat of the climate change - also outlines some of the European problems to be solved.

In addition to being a concrete project in the field of education for sustainable development, one unique feature of the project INSPIRE is that it reinforces the contribution of lifelong learning to social cohesion, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, gender equality and per-sonal fulfilment.

Inspire is a project funded by the European Commission´s Lifelong Learning Programme (2007) by means of the COMENIUS Multilateral Projects budget line. The project´s initial period is from October 2007 to September 2009.