ASviS dedicates particular attention to quality education, striving to promote respect for the right to accessible and inclusive education for all. In order to do this, it closely collaborates with Italian institutions, research centers and universities, also thanks to the cooperation with the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (Rete delle Università per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile – RUS) and the National Administration School.

Education for Sustainable Development

Education for Sustainable Development is explicitly mentioned in the 2030 Agenda: 

Target 4.7

“By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”

E-learning

ASviS has developed an e-learning course, lasting a total of about three hours, titled "The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals", which aims to illustrate in a simple and accessible way the evolution of the idea of ​​sustainability and the contents of the 2030 Agenda, focusing on each of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals in English), which represent the goal to be achieved globally by 2030.

For this, it is divided into 20 thematic modules, lasting about 5 minutes each. The first three modules offer an overview of sustainability and the Agenda, while the remaining 17 each focus on a single SDG, illustrating the Targets, the current state of progress and numerous thematic insights, accompanied by multimedia educational content, interactive exercises and references to current events. The basic contents of the course, to be completed in order to continue fruition, amount to about an hour and a half, and a similar amount of time is dedicated to thematic in-depth studies, bringing the overall length to about three hours, delivered asynchronously. The tools available to the platform hosting the course include an access and attendance register, virtual bookmarks and help-desk. Furthermore, each module has handouts that can be consulted at the end of the same. Upon completion of the course as a whole, a certificate of completion is issued.

The course is available in Italian and English, with contents updated in January 2020, and as of September 2020 is accompanied by an advanced version specifically aimed to illustrate the importance for companies and the private sector of embarking on a path of transformation towards sustainability, illustrating the resulting benefits and the tools available. The course, called "Azienda 2030" (Business 2030) will represent an essential study on sustainability for businesses and the world of finance, actors considered indispensable by the 2030 Agenda to lead the world on a path of sustainable development. For more information write to e-learning@asvis.net.

The courses have been made available to ASviS’ member organizations. The basic course is also included in training for professional journalists, for all public school teachers and university students.

Working groups and partnerships

For a more sustainable world, individuals must be empowered to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society for present and future generations. Quality education and lifelong learning are thus crucial to achieve sustainable development. Because of this, the Alliance established a cross-cutting working group on Education for Sustainable Development, to integrate the work done by its Working Group dedicated to SDG 4.

Thanks to the activities and efforts of this group, ASviS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian Ministry of Education, University and scientific Research (Miur), through which parties committed to collaborating for the promotion and diffusion of information and training initiatives on sustainable development, and to spreading a culture of sustainability in Italy. The working group is also currently collaborating with the Ministry for the launch and management of Italy’s “Sustainability Education Programme”.

ASviS also works with the “Network of universities for sustainable development” (RUS), established by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI).

Projects

ASviS carries on various projects on the theme of sustainable development. The most relevant recent ones include:

• The Sudego project, a structured initiative within the Erasmus plus program in which specific contributions and in-depth analysis of the 2030 Agenda were drawn up for teachers and students of upper secondary schools.
• Piattaforma Scuola2030 (School2030 platform), a portal created by Indire, on the initiative of the Ministry of Education and in collaboration with the ASviS, which offers self-training materials, content and resources to bring education to the classroom inspired by the values and vision of the 2030 Agenda.
• A sustainable world in 100 photos, a book by Enrico Giovannini and Donato Speroni, with the photo editor Manuela Fugenzi, it represents a window on the world that documents the systemic crisis that is affecting the entire planet, focusing on possible solutions in support of collective well-being.
• The Global Goals Kids' Show Italy, an animated show of 17 episodes, designed for the age group 5-10, to involve, inspire and empower girls and boys to contribute to the achievement of the 17 Goals of the 2030 Agenda by providing simple suggestions on how they can make their contribution to each Goal.

Moreover, the Alliance organizes higher learning courses in partnership with numerous Italian universities aimed at: journalists, on the role of the media in spreading sustainable development; local administrators, to ensure the consistency of planning and territorial implementation with the 2030 Agenda; start-ups, with a dedicated Innovability School, focused on digitization and circular economy.

ASviS has also partnered with several universities to create or participate in Master courses on sustainable development and connected issues, and several ASviS staff and collaborators are lecturers in courses all over Italy.

Finally, was a founding member  of the #educAzioni network, which brings together networks and alliances of active citizenship, the third sector and trade unions, committed to making proposals, conducting analysis and presenting programs to protect the rights of girls, boys and teenagers in the face of the pandemic emergency.