LOESS project CoP in Catalonia holds a reflective workshop on the state and future of soil health education

As part of the project “Literacy boost through an Operational Educational Ecosystem of Societal actors on Soil health” (LOESS), the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) and Justinmind organized a reflective workshop on May 24th at the Barcelona Social Hub. The workshop focused on the state and future of soil health education.

The event presented preliminary findings from a recent study conducted in Catalonia, aiming to foster reflection, validation, and enrichment of these findings among the members of the Community of Practice (CoP) and other important stakeholders. The workshop also compared these results with provisional data from the broader European context.

Regarding the methodology, similar to other countries involved in the project, the study in Catalonia encompassed desk research, one focus group, ten in-depth interviews, and five case studies.

Throughout the workshop, it was confirmed that the study findings in Catalonia and Europe, across different stages of education and for the general public, were fully aligned with the knowledge and experience of CoP members.

Participants acknowledged the comprehensiveness and rigor of the study and expressed satisfaction with its approach. They also identified various opportunities and challenges while outlining next steps to incorporate soil health education effectively in Catalonia and Europe.

The workshop brought together approximately 30 participants, including scientists from various research centers, university and vocational training professors, and representatives from public administration, NGOs, and civil society groups, along with managers of other EU Mission Soil projects.

Presentations were led by ACUP and Justinmind teams, as well as by experts in Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Eduxarxa Cooperative, who also contributed to the study.