Earth Competences

Learning about sustainability involves more than remembering environmental facts. It also involves the way people think, make decisions and work with others. YouthCoLab connects its educational approach Framework of Earth Competences. This framework brings together abilities and attitudes that can support people as they respond to environmental and social challenges.

The competences highlighted in the project include working with others, valuing sustainability, critical thinking, action-oriented thinking and creativity. Each one supports a different part of the learning journey. Cooperation helps people combine perspectives; valuing sustainability encourages attention to long-term effects; critical thinking supports careful decisions; action-oriented thinking connects ideas with practical steps; and creativity opens up new possibilities.

These competences are connected rather than separate. For example, a team may need creativity to develop an idea, critical thinking to examine whether it is realistic and cooperation to improve it together. Valuing sustainability helps participants consider the wider impact, while action-oriented thinking encourages them to identify what could happen next. A single activity can therefore give people opportunities to practise several competences at the same time.

By linking the game with Earth Competences, YouthCoLab aims to make the learning purpose clearer. The board game is being developed as a way to practise these abilities through interaction and reflection. The competences can also be useful outside the game, in education, community activities and everyday decisions. They support a broader understanding of sustainability as something connected with how we live and work together.