Seeking partners for a Horizon Europe proposal on forest-based educational living labs, youth engagement and rural resilience

We are building a Horizon Europe consortium to develop and implement Forest Educational Living Labs, an innovative approach aimed at reconnecting young people with forests through place-based and experiential learning. The project will focus on integrating secondary education (ISCED 2 level) with real-life forest ecosystems, fostering environmental awareness, behavioural change and long-term engagement with rural territories.

The initiative will establish pilot actions in different European regions, representing diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts, including Mediterranean, boreal and Eastern European rural areas. These living labs will bring together students, educators, local communities and forest sector actors to co-create learning processes linked to sustainable forest management, bioeconomy and rural development.The project also aims to contribute to rural resilience by attracting and retaining talent, strengthening local value chains and transforming natural resources into sustainable socio-economic opportunities through education and capacity building. A digital platform will support knowledge sharing, replication and scalability at the European level.