Last update 22/07/08
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The regional partnership to boost learning and sustainability
Sustaining the East Midlands through learning
StudentForce has helped to set up the first UK Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE) and now acts as the Coordinator of the partnership of nearly 40 East Midlands organisations, including key support from the Government Office for the East Midlands and the East Midlands Development Agency.
The East Midlands is the first UK region to be approved by the UN University and UNESCO as a region with expertise in education for sustainable development. The United Nations has led the world in promoting sustainable development and now, as part of a 10 year programme, it acknowledges the vital role of regions in helping everyone learn to be more sustainable. There are now 35 Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) around the world and the East Midlands region is beginning to develop partnerships with some of the other European RCEs.
The RCE East Midlands champions education for sustainable development and global citizenship across the region. It is a regional partnership for member organisations to collaborate, research, inform, advise, promote and develop ESD activity together. By the end of the UN Decade for ESD in 2014, we want learning to be central to the vision of sustainability in the East Midlands and education for sustainable development to be central to education and training in all sectors.
The RCE East Midlands is researching and promoting education for sustainable development and global citizenship in schools, colleges, universities as well as in youth, community and business education. It has already been awarded £50K from DfES over two years to promote sustainable schools, as well as hosting the first Higher Education Academy regional conference on sustainable development.
Each of the eight working groups (School education; Further education; Higher education; Adult and community education; Youth education; Business sector; Voluntary sector and Government sector) are developing project ideas and funding bids.
More details about RCEs can be seen on: www.ias.unu.edu/research/regionalcentres.cfm
The RCE East Midlands website is www.rceem.org.uk