The school, an actor of its territory

All the cases and analyses cited in the dossier are part of a European project « Let’s take care of the planet ». The first certainty is that the teaching of sustainable development, in the form of moralistic teaching added to so many other disciplinary teachings, does not work. From then on, the common point of all the experiences presented is the rooting in a territory which becomes both an object of study and of interrogation and on which concrete projects can result.

This approach implies such a break with the traditions of teaching in France that it cannot be developed without the joint will of teachers, school heads and local authorities. The « Let’s take care of the planet » methodology is biblically simple in principle: observations - reflections - actions - evaluations. This allows it to be deployed on different scales, from that of a class to that of an entire region. Its interest is to give young people « the desire to act ».

The participation of delegates from the different schools involved in the process in European meetings, where the young people feel taken seriously and valued, is a real contribution. The young delegates sometimes find it difficult to pass on the flame to their colleagues on their return, but it is not uncommon to see them commit themselves later on to a process of the same type.