Learning for Sustainability Peer Mentors

Learning for Sustainability Peer Mentors

by Kirsty Gemmell -
Number of replies: 0

Are you passionate about Learning for Sustainability? Would you like to work with other practitioners to share practice, ideas and help build an exciting movement for change?

If so, then Education Scotland would like to invite you to apply to become one of their new Learning for Sustainability Peer Mentors.

Learning for Sustainability Action Plan

In June 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills launched Target 2030: A Movement for People, Planet and Prosperity. This refreshed Learning for Sustainability action plan aims to ensure that:

  • All learners receive their Learning for Sustainability entitlement
  • All 3-18 learning settings and schools become sustainable by 2030.

The Learning for Sustainability action plan includes a focus on climate change education, outdoor learning, global citizenship, children’s rights, social justice, and equalities.

A national Call to Action was launched on 06 December to encourage people across Scotland to work together to achieve Target 2030.

What will the peer mentors do?

Education Scotland has been tasked with establishing a Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Peer Mentor Network to deliver on the ambitions of the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan. Education Scotland are looking for peer mentors to work with early learning and childcare, primary, ASN, secondary and community learning and development settings to help them develop their practice and to support their journeys towards effective whole setting approaches to Learning for Sustainability. The period from 01 February to the 31 March 2024 is the pilot phase of the programme and the LfS Peer Mentors involved will play an exciting role in establishing the new national network.

Activities may include aspects of the following:

  • Working with a small number of settings and schools locally to offer support and advice
  • Providing advice and support virtually via email, online networks, online calls etc
  • Supporting local and national LfS networks
  • Facilitating the sharing of ideas, approaches and resources and supporting collaboration
  • Leading open days and events.

Who should apply?

To apply to be an LfS Peer Mentor you should:

  • Be passionate about Learning for Sustainability
  • Have at least two years’ experience of leading LfS within an ELC, primary, secondary, ASN or CLD context
  • Be available to undertake at least 4 days (or a total of 28 hours) of activity between 01 February and 31 March 2024. This could be made up of full days, half days, or cumulative hours of support.

Education Scotland will provide cover costs to settings to allow LfS Peer Mentors to be released. Alternatively, mentors may be commissioned to undertake work in their own time. Where relevant, please consult your headteacher, head of centre, line manager before applying to confirm that they are able to release you to undertake activities. FREE bespoke professional learning for mentors will be provided at training days on 06 and 07 February 2024.

Following the pilot phase, a short evaluation of success of the network will be conducted to inform decisions regarding next steps. Anyone involved as a mentor in the pilot phase will be contacted in due course to let them know whether a further opportunity to be involved beyond 31 March will be made available.

 

How to apply

To apply, please complete this short online form no later than 5pm on Friday 12 January 2024: https://forms.office.com/e/BEj2x97Gy6.