SMALEI Digital Academy Talks: Tips for Successful Campaigning for Sustainability
06/02/2025
On February 6, the final SMALEI Lunch Talk Webinar brought together 30 participants for an engaging and insightful session on empowering Adult Learning and Education (ALE) providers to create impactful sustainability campaigns. Organized by EARLALL, in cooperation with the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and YUVA, this closing session provided valuable best practices, tools, and strategies to drive meaningful sustainability initiatives in adult education.
Moderated by Davide Durante, EARLALL Communications & Project Officer, the session featured two speakers Vasiliki Katsikerou – Education and Advocacy Advisor, PhD Candidate at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Alice Patault – Sustainability & Communication Expert, Professor in Sustainability at IHECS (Brussels).
The discussion emphasized the importance of understanding and engaging diverse audiences, integrating communication into organizational processes, and leveraging various content formats and platforms to maintain audience interest. The speakers also explored the necessity of a concrete communication strategy, the risks of content fatigue, and the role of education in empowering individuals to take action on sustainability issues.
Alice Patault highlighted the significance of incorporating communication into an organization’s processes from the outset. She stressed the need for honesty, shared values, commitment, and urgency in sustainability messaging. Alice also underscored the importance of understanding target audiences—whether their needs are functional, emotional, or social—while avoiding greenwashing and ensuring compliance. She recommended engaging the community and training ambassadors as effective ways to promote sustainability.
Vasiliki Katsikerou built upon these insights by discussing strategic approaches to sustainability communication, particularly in the education sector. She encouraged organizations to develop clear communication strategies rather than simply increasing their follower count. Vasiliki suggested creating audience personas and tailoring messages accordingly, implementing a holistic approach to voice guidelines, and ensuring differentiation based on audience segments. She also emphasized the importance of crafting engaging content from the learner’s perspective, repurposing content, and leveraging video footage to build trust and engagement.
Practical Tips for Sustainability Campaigns
The webinar concluded with actionable recommendations for organizations looking to enhance their sustainability communication:
- Engagement Tactics: Encourage grassroots organizations to implement social media takeovers by learners to boost audience participation.
- Relatable Content: EU project communicators should explain project development processes (e.g., proposal writing, kickoff meetings) in a way that resonates with teachers and students.
- Curriculum Integration: Education institutions should embed sustainability topics into curricula to build confidence and knowledge for future communication efforts.
- Strategic Partnerships: Communication teams should collaborate with organizations that target different audiences to expand their reach.
- Dedicated Communication Roles: Organizations should consider having a dedicated narrative-building role (e.g., community manager) separate from graphic design and video editing responsibilities.
- Content Diversification: Teams should vary content types (e.g., photos, videos, text posts) to prevent audience fatigue while maintaining brand consistency.
- Human Connection: Organizations should feature recognizable “faces” or spokespersons in communication efforts to strengthen audience trust.
- Content Repurposing: Save and repurpose engaging social media content for future use to maximize its value.
- Video Utilization: Capture footage at events and in the office for ongoing content creation and storytelling.
The SMALEI Digital Academy Talk provided a wealth of knowledge for adult education providers striving to improve sustainability campaigns. As the SMALEI Erasmus project, coordinated by the European Association for the Education of Adults, continues its mission to enhance sustainability in ALE across Europe, the insights shared in this session will be part of the SMALEI Digital Academy, enrol here.
EARLALL Academy
The content from this session will be available on the EARLALL Academy site for EARLALL members very soon, ensuring continued access to these valuable insights and strategies.
SMALEI Final Conference: Shaping a Sustainable Future for Adult Learning
Participants are invited to join the “SMALEI Final Conference: Empowering Adult Learning and Education for a Sustainable Future” which will take place on 26 February from 09h to 13h in Brussels. Register!
