On 14–15 May 2025, the University of Gävle hosted the pilot edition of the Train the Trainer programme, a dynamic initiative developed to provide students and staff from EU GREEN universities with tools to lead, inspire, and engage others using participatory learning methods. The training forms part of the alliance’s broader efforts to promote sustainable and healthy university campuses.
With around 40 participants from across the nine partner institutions, the two-day programme offered an intensive, hands-on learning experience. The sessions covered topics such as what participatory learning is, how to design inclusive and interactive training environments, facilitation skills, group dynamics, and managing challenges in learning processes. Participants were not only involved in exercises, but also developed and delivered their own, reinforcing the model through practice.
According to Agneta Morelli, coordinator of the green campus initiatives in EU GREEN, “Train the Trainer in the participatory model is an important contribution to a cultural shift in how we approach sustainability in universities. It supports the integration of sustainability through inclusion, engagement, and co-creation.”
The group included a mix of students and staff, all of whom actively contributed to the sessions. “I experienced the days as dynamic and intense, with a strong focus on learning by doing. For many, it was their first time working in such a participatory way—an eye-opening and very positive experience,” Morelli added.
Sanaya Singh, a lecturer in social work and participant in the programme, reflected on the value of the experience: “The participatory method, along with concrete examples from our partner universities, really opened our eyes to how we can make projects more meaningful by involving key stakeholders from the start.” She also noted that the University of Gävle already has strong initiatives in place to promote health and well-being on campus, and that these could be further enhanced through this participatory approach.
The long-term aim is for this model to be shared and implemented across the EU GREEN Alliance, equipping each institution with trained facilitators who can apply it in academic, sustainability, and community-building initiatives. “This was just a pilot,” explained Morelli. “But it lays the foundation for long-term engagement. The idea is that trained participants will apply the participatory model to design and implement future activities in their own universities.”
The Train the Trainer programme is a practical example of EU GREEN’s commitment to inclusive learning environments, local empowerment, and the creation of sustainable, vibrant and collaborative university campuses across Europe.
