The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Mr Prodromou Prodromou, participated in the Informal Ministerial Council on Education and Youth held in Strasbourg. The discussion focused on how young people can be empowered to actively contribute to the creation of a greener and more sustainable Europe. An innovation of the French Presidency was the participation of one young person from each country in the session. From Cyprus, Ms Maria Kola, President of the Cyprus Youth Council, who had participated in the European Youth Summit the previous two days, took part.
The participants examined the conditions that would allow young people to become more actively involved in sustainable development issues. The Minister explained that it is important to transform school units into active learning communities, where environmental literacy and the qualities of an active European citizen, conscious of their citizenship of the world, will be supported. He also stressed that issues such as climate change, the circular economy and biodiversity, as well as the social, economic and cultural dimensions of sustainability should be central to the learning process. He also noted that in Cyprus an important step in this direction is the integration of specific lessons and modules on environmental and sustainable development issues in all levels of school education.
Referring to the need for a cross-sectoral approach to environmental and sustainability issues, he pointed out that young people and their organisations have an important role to play and should be supported through both national and European resources.
Referring to the need for a cross-sectoral approach to environmental and sustainability issues, he pointed out that young people and their organisations have an important role to play and should be supported through both national and European resources. He also stressed the importance of establishing consultation mechanisms that allow young people to be involved both in the development of policies and in their implementation and evaluation. "The formulation of the National Strategy for Youth in Cyprus is a concrete example that such a collaborative effort between young people and policy makers is possible," she said.
Prodromou stressed that European initiatives give new impetus to joint efforts for a greener and sustainable Europe with young people as protagonists. "The European Green Deal, as well as the emphasis on the green and digital transition in the Single European Area of Education are initiatives in the right direction," she explained. He also mentioned the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as the European Year of Youth 2022, expressing the hope that they will contribute significantly to the empowerment of young people, leaving useful legacies for the future.
IP
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