Learn. Change. ACT.
Action for Community Transformation (ACT) is an education programme for adult learners and community groups.
Through a Global Citizenship Education approach, we build an understanding of the root causes of the injustices of climate change, and motivate and support learners to take action for a more sustainable world.
Thanks to support from Irish Aid, we are able to offer FREE workshops and support to eligible groups in Ireland to increase awareness and understanding of climate change and climate justice. Educators and facilitators can use our Toolkit to work with their own groups. on these topics. And in 2024, we will hold the second ever national community climate competition, Climate Heroes.
Why global citizenship?
ACT supports climate action by developing people’s skills as active global citizens, to help them better understand the ‘big picture’ and be motivated to take action for a fairer, more sustainable world.
"Global Citizenship Education [is] a lifelong educational process, which aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, inter-dependent and unequal world in which we live. By challenging stereotypes and encouraging independent thinking, GCE helps people to critically explore how global justice issues interlink with their everyday lives and how they can act to build a better world."
The climate crisis is possibly the biggest global challenge of our time. It affects everyone in the world, but people experience the consequences differently based on where and who they are. In order to meet this challenge, adults need:
- To understand the causes of climate change, poverty and injustice and how they affect those at home and abroad,
- To care about the injustices of climate change and to believe they can make a difference,
- To develop the skills to act collectively for change.
Global Citizenship Education (GCE), as practiced in ACT, uses active-learning methods such as discussion, debate, and role-play, so learners can critically exchange and challenge their ideas in a safe space. Our workshops aim to build skills in active citizenship, problem solving, systems thinking and critical thinking, so participants are better able to analyse global and local problems and act on them.
Think global, ACT local
ACT for community groups
ACT works with groups who want to bring positive change to their local areas, such as Tidy Towns committees, women’s networks, and local development groups. Training sessions are tailored specifically to the needs and focus of the group we are working with, which we establish with a pre-workshop interview.
Our facilitators are experienced and flexible and workshops can be adapted in length and in topic. Popular topics include sustainable development, climate justice, and climate advocacy – but we explore any problem related to climate change, environment and sustainability.
Our workshops are free to groups working in disadvantaged or underserved areas.
Fill out the form below and we’ll contact you about a workshop!
ACT for adult learners
ACT supports adult education spaces that want to engage in global citizenship and climate action. GCE shares many commonalities with the aims and approaches in the Adult and Community Education sector. With a focus on building social cohesion and active citizens, promoting human rights and individual and collective empowerment, ACT complements any existing or new course.
One major focus of this project is to extend access to GCE to groups that are marginalised or underserved. To this end, we have given courses in collaboration with local development partnerships, disability advocacy groups, and ETBs – especially those outside of Dublin. Our courses are adaptable in length and aims to meet the needs of your learners.
If you think your learners can benefit from learning about climate action as global citizens, complete the form below and we’ll get in touch!
"We set up a workshop to help us learn about Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). It was a pleasure to work with Alex and we really appreciated his teaching and the friendly engaging way in which he imparts information... We need this information with regards to our projects and any works we carry out."
"ACT encouraged the participants to see the big picture, explore unknown subjects, think and reflect deeper. It became the platform to identify shared concerns, evaluate common practices, unearth forgotten knowledge and seek new creative ways for creating a better world - starting small in Walkinstown."
Community education toolkit
Our community toolkit is designed for facilitators who want to lead their groups in learning about global themes. If you’re an adult educator, a youth group leader, or if you want to build your group’s knowledge of sustainable development, this toolkit is for you! Packed with the most successful activities from our workshops, this toolkit enables you to lead your group on a journey from learning to action.
And now you can access our Toolkit online! Quickly stimulate debates, show videos, or access key resources at the click of a button, the ACT Online Toolkit is perfect for working with groups of adult learners. Try it today!
ACT Facilitators Online Toolkit
Climate Heroes
The Climate Heroes competition is an opportunity for community groups to learn about and try out new actions for sustainability. Running from 15th to 26th April, the competition offers space for learning, connecting, generating ideas and trying new sustainable behaviours. Participants log carbon-saving behaviours using the unique Ducky App, contextualise these behaviours through a global lens, and network and share ideas for community climate action.
For more information, visit the Climate Heroes event page or click the button below for a follow-up call with a member of staff!
For any more information about ACT, please contact [email protected].
Development of the programme has been funded by Irish Aid.
