Ecological Future Education – Latvia

Ecological Future Education (hereinafter – EFE) is a Non-Profit private organization for providing youth and adult non-formal learning.Founded for education providing and ecological life style implementation.Target groups : social risk groups, persons with disabilities, young people with destructive problems, adults and young people.The main focus is to provide simplified access to education and support youth and their families ensuring the availability of educational.Providing up- to-date learning materials, tools and methods.The center of EFE is located in northeastern Latvia rural area in Gulbene.EFE have 3 branches located in Liepaja, Aluksne and Riga, covering all regions of Latvia.Also have developed cooperation with partners who help spread our ideas in a number of training centers and schools throughout the Latvia.EFE has established cooperation with special boarding schools for organisation of environmental education after school activities and providingdevelopment training for teachers. Involving schools and their pupils to think and act greener.EFE team consist of 11 permanent staff: Project managers, Youth workers, Educators and administrative staff, 15 youth volunteers and cooperationwith total more than 150 educators in different fields.Sustainable education including active citizenship is one of EFE’s main activities.Raising awareness through education by providing open lectures and informational materials to easier understand environmental and sustainabledevelopment issues.EFE involves with youth and adults to be active and responsible citizens.EFE offers various training activities like recycling, green home, green office, upcycling workshops, zero waste lifestyle and also about circulareconomy as business model.Also, EFE are working with responsible citizens, raising awareness of environmental concerns and how it affects us.Objective is to inform youth about environmental issues, plastic waste and recycling, to improve young people skills and competences in relation togreen thinking and to raise social responsibility.

Our experience has established cooperation with socially excluded risk groups, youth with disabilities, special schools, several municipalities andsocial services.EFE has established cooperation with special boarding schools for organisation of environmental education for extra- curricular activities.EFE organise: painting study group, „Hard-Working Hands” group, „Finger works” group.These groups encourage pupil’s tolerance and understanding regarding nature around us.Experience creating training curricula, teaching and learning toolkits, training materials, e- learning modules and adapting easy-to-read method.Cooperates with the local government EFE implement lifelong learning training projects that have the co-funding of the city council for professionaldevelopment training for teachers. EFE cooperates with the society through various institutions as Education Authority of the municipality, the StatePolice, institutions of the local government and social organizations.To raise society awareness about environmental issues EFE organise wide range of workshops about object upcycling, sewing reusable producebags, making beeswax wrap and etc.Experience of occupational safety regulatory development and implementation.Improving respect of the hygiene and security standards.Has experience in European projects, such as:• Erasmus+ LeGaQual2Do – developed a training method for persons with low qualification level, through work-based training – they learned bydoing.• Erasmus+ Meeting-point of European Solidarity to Increase Respect – To inform young people and youth workers about the Environment(problems, solutions) and Climate Change issues and to increase their awareness.• Erasmus+ Eco Circle – to exchange good practice about circular economy culture and creativity in environmental context, as well as raiseawareness of circular economy.• Erasmus+ Green Care for NEETs and Youth Workers – Green Care (Care Farming) methods and knowledge, holistic wellbeing and ways to help ayoung person in a NEET situation.• Nordplus From Past to Future – project combine ecological issues with culinary heritage of Baltic and Nordic countries.• Nordplus Active citizenship – Main aim to inspire adults and the local authorities to take an active part and raising awareness of the sustainabledevelopment as a way of living.• Eramsus+ New opportunities of employment for social inclusion of women with disabilities – Ready Women for New Employments – project is tooffer new opportunities and innovative instruments to adult women with disabilities for improving their qualifications and thus their levels ofemployability and integration into the labour market.• Erasmus+ Easy ways to transfer knowledge – enhance educators’ knowledge for work with low skilled adults, sharing good practices of creative.