ELY Train-the-Trainers: Building Capacity for Inclusive Energy Education
As part of the ELY project, Train-the-Trainers (ToT) activities were organised to prepare educators, youth workers and other practitioners to use the ELY Curriculum in their own work. The trainings combined knowledge about energy and climate change with practical, participatory and non-formal education methods.
The ToT programme was developed to ensure a consistent approach to the main ELY curriculum modules, learning objectives and evaluation requirements across the partner countries. Before the national trainings began, the draft programme was reviewed by two experts, whose feedback on the comprehensiveness and relevance of the content was incorporated into the final programme.
Training across partner countries
Train-the-Trainers activities were implemented in Poland, Germany, Denmark and Czechia. The trainings were delivered in different formats, including multi-day face-to-face trainings and shorter modular sessions. This allowed partners to adapt the organisation of the activities to their local contexts while maintaining the common objectives and principles of the ELY programme.
In Poland, trainings were organised in Kraków and Warsaw, while partner organisations also delivered activities in Høje-Taastrup in Denmark, Berlin and Prague. The programmes covered the key elements of the ELY Curriculum and used practical, participatory and non-formal education methods.
Making energy education more inclusive
A strong focus across the trainings was placed on accessibility and inclusion. Participants included educators, youth workers and practitioners with experience of working with young people, marginalised groups and in non-formal education. Particular attention was given to the participation of people with fewer opportunities.
The training groups also brought together people with diverse experiences, backgrounds and social contexts. This diversity was particularly visible in the Danish training, which involved participants from a range of countries and included people with different migration, employment and social experiences.
This diversity became an important part of the learning process. It enabled participants to explore energy, climate change and the energy transition from different perspectives and to consider how energy education can become more accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of different groups.
From knowledge to practice
The Train-the-Trainers activities focused not only on knowledge transfer but also on experiencing the educational methods that participants can later use in their own work with young people.
Participants explored ways of facilitating discussions, group work, practical activities and other forms of active learning. This allowed them to experience the ELY Curriculum from the learner’s perspective while developing the confidence and skills needed to facilitate similar activities themselves.
Building a network of ELY educators
The Train-the-Trainers activities represent an important step in the wider dissemination and use of the ELY materials. By preparing educators and youth workers to use the curriculum, the project creates opportunities for its knowledge, methods and resources to reach further organisations, groups and local communities.
In this way, ELY supports the development of a wider network of practitioners who can use energy education to strengthen knowledge, critical thinking, agency and active citizenship.
The Train-the-Trainers activities demonstrate that energy education can go beyond communicating technical information. It can create spaces for dialogue, reflection, collaboration and action, helping young people better understand the energy transition and recognise their own role in shaping its future.
