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participating in other forms of student activism are also important. Informing campaigns for peers, families, communities and the general public, organising and participating in protests or demonstrations could give opportunities for students to
practise different forms of civic participation that could prove beneficial for their
development in terms of knowledge, skills, competencies, self-efficacy, self-esteem,
and socio- political empowerment (Baptista et al. 2018; Marques and Reis 2017;
Schusler and Kransy 2015; Simonneaux 2007). In addition, it has been proven to be
beneficial for environmental and social transformation (Bencze and Sperling 2012;
Freire 1987).
Networking & Sharing in Scales is an important stage for the Education for
Environmental Citizenship Pedagogical Approach. Students can organise local networks of students, scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists and politicians. In this
way students can influence their local community and encourage local communities
to realise the importance of the environmental problem studied. Students can also
upgrade the discussion of the specific environmental problem to a national scale.
The development of national networks also by students, scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists, politicians and others can help in this direction. Connecting with
national environmental NGOs is also important in this step. Finally, students can
attempt to inform the global community for the environmental problem which is
under study. They can try to create global networks of action mobilising students,
scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists and politicians in other countries in a
global action dimension. Connecting with international NGOs is of outstanding
importance. The recent global movement for climate change (e.g. FFF - Fridays for
Future, a global weekly day of climate activism involving students) proved that this
attempt is possible. Social media, social networks, blogs and other recent information technology applications can be very influential in such attempts (Gerbaudo
2018). According to Aday et al. (2010), social media is often used as a means of
representation, and also as a tool for ‘citizen journalism’, such as the use of web live
streaming services or a YouTube video that elicits episodes of police brutality. What
is most interesting is their use as a means of organising collective action and more
specifically as a means of mobilisation (Lievrouw 2011). Therefore, social media
can be used to organise and promote international campaigns.
Sustain Environmental & Social Change is the stage of Education for
Environmental Citizenship Pedagogical Approach where supplementary efforts are
taking place in order to sustain environmental and social change. In this stage students could support and improve the previous actions, for example keeping the issue
in the news and they could adopt new reinforcing measures and actions. Another
important step in this stage is to integrate additional actions to address structural
causes in other areas and in other levels. An example is where students send official
letters to parliament or an official letter to the Minister for the Environment reporting an environmental policy deficit. This could be a deficit of current environmental
legislation, a deficiency in the implementation of environmental legislation, a deficiency of environmental structures and infrastructures or even deficit of environmental ‘culture’. In another step, students could reward those who helped in their
actions (e.g., students, volunteers, supporters) by sending, for example, a letter of
15 Education for Environmental Citizenship: The Pedagogical Approach
participating in other forms of student activism are also important. Informing campaigns for peers, families, communities and the general public, organising and participating in protests or demonstrations could give opportunities for students to
practise different forms of civic participation that could prove beneficial for their
development in terms of knowledge, skills, competencies, self-efficacy, self-esteem,
and socio- political empowerment (Baptista et al. 2018; Marques and Reis 2017;
Schusler and Kransy 2015; Simonneaux 2007). In addition, it has been proven to be
beneficial for environmental and social transformation (Bencze and Sperling 2012;
Freire 1987).
Networking & Sharing in Scales is an important stage for the Education for
Environmental Citizenship Pedagogical Approach. Students can organise local networks of students, scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists and politicians. In this
way students can influence their local community and encourage local communities
to realise the importance of the environmental problem studied. Students can also
upgrade the discussion of the specific environmental problem to a national scale.
The development of national networks also by students, scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists, politicians and others can help in this direction. Connecting with
national environmental NGOs is also important in this step. Finally, students can
attempt to inform the global community for the environmental problem which is
under study. They can try to create global networks of action mobilising students,
scientists, volunteers, supporters, activists and politicians in other countries in a
global action dimension. Connecting with international NGOs is of outstanding
importance. The recent global movement for climate change (e.g. FFF - Fridays for
Future, a global weekly day of climate activism involving students) proved that this
attempt is possible. Social media, social networks, blogs and other recent information technology applications can be very influential in such attempts (Gerbaudo
2018). According to Aday et al. (2010), social media is often used as a means of
representation, and also as a tool for ‘citizen journalism’, such as the use of web live
streaming services or a YouTube video that elicits episodes of police brutality. What
is most interesting is their use as a means of organising collective action and more
specifically as a means of mobilisation (Lievrouw 2011). Therefore, social media
can be used to organise and promote international campaigns.
Sustain Environmental & Social Change is the stage of Education for
Environmental Citizenship Pedagogical Approach where supplementary efforts are
taking place in order to sustain environmental and social change. In this stage students could support and improve the previous actions, for example keeping the issue
in the news and they could adopt new reinforcing measures and actions. Another
important step in this stage is to integrate additional actions to address structural
causes in other areas and in other levels. An example is where students send official
letters to parliament or an official letter to the Minister for the Environment reporting an environmental policy deficit. This could be a deficit of current environmental
legislation, a deficiency in the implementation of environmental legislation, a deficiency of environmental structures and infrastructures or even deficit of environmental ‘culture’. In another step, students could reward those who helped in their
actions (e.g., students, volunteers, supporters) by sending, for example, a letter of
15 Education for Environmental Citizenship: The Pedagogical Approach