Elcra Project
ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY IN
HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT FOR
PREVENTING
VIOLENT RADICALIZATION IN CLIMATE ACTIVISM
The project
Project Background
In recent years, movements have spread that represent, for many young people, especially university students, a form of activism and peaceful protest related to environmental sustainability issues and the fight against climate change.
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The project aims to increase students’ environmental literacy, particularly university students, by involving them in their communities and transforming them into actors of change.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
To understand the phenomenon of violent radicalisation linked to environmental and climate challenges through qualitative and quantitative research on emblematic cases, attitudes and opinions of university students on environmental sustainability
The results
The project will promote the environmental literacy of university students, developing their knowledge and skills and creating a link between them and the community they are part of and increase their interest in and knowledge about climate change issues.
The project will provide participants with an understanding of the complexity of environmental and social systems and strong problem-solving skills, through which they will be able to intervene in systems with innovative and effective solutions that contribute to combating climate change and environmental sustainability problems while preventing violent radicalisation.
The project will promote the professional development of the participants through the creation of a community of practice on the theme of preventing violent radicalisation in environmental activism; the project will unite the contributions of different actors (academics, students, third sector realities), enhancing the impact of actions to prevent violent radicalisation in environmental activism and combating climate change.
Social
ELCRA
ELCRA is an Erasmus+ project promoting environmental literacy as a tool for preventing radicalisation in climate activism. Its COIL programme brings students from five European universities together online to tackle real challenges around sustainability and civic engagement — each through a dedicated thematic module.
The module coordinated by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid opens with a straightforward question: what does sustainability actually mean in practice? Who governs it, who communicates it, and who carries its costs?
Working in international teams, students examine how media, institutions, brands, and individuals either support or undermine sustainable practices in everyday life. Their collective output is an educational resource designed to help younger audiences understand the connections between consumption, environmental governance, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Not an academic exercise. A product with a purpose.
🔗 www.elcraproject.eu
🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇵🇱 🇵🇹 🇱🇹 🇪🇺
#ELCRA #COIL #Sustainability #UCM #ErasmusPlus #EnvironmentalLiteracy
🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union
Università di Siena
OpenCom Italy
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas, KU
Instituto Jurídico da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra
Erasmus Student Network Italy - ESN Italia
Erasmus Student Network Portugal - ESN PT
ELCRA
ELCRA is an Erasmus+ project working on the prevention of radicalisation in climate activism through environmental literacy, bringing together five European universities and two student organisations. One of its most distinctive training tools is the COIL — a Collaborative Online International Learning programme that gathers students from five countries in a single shared virtual space.
COIL is not simply about delivering content online. It is a methodology that places cultural diversity at the centre of the learning experience, treating difference as a resource rather than a logistical challenge.
Within ELCRA, the COIL marks the moment when students move from passive learners to active co-creators — applying knowledge gained through the project's MOOC to real challenges in sustainability and responsible climate engagement.
Five modules. Five themes. Five universities. Over the coming posts, we look at each one.
🔗 www.elcraproject.eu
🇮🇹 🇪🇸 🇵🇱 🇵🇹 🇱🇹 🇪🇺
#ELCRA #COIL #ErasmusPlus #EnvironmentalLiteracy #HigherEducation
🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union
Università di Siena
OpenCom Italy
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas, KU
Instituto Jurídico da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra
Erasmus Student Network Italy - ESN Italia
Erasmus Student Network Portugal - ESN PT
ELCRA
🎬 Video interview | ELCRA in Madrid
🎤 At the 1st International Conference on Environmental Communication, Literacy and Climate Activism, we spoke with Katia Sanz Amado, a third-year Journalism student at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
📚 Katia took part in the ELCRA project's MOOC course and shares what she learnt: a deeper awareness not only of climate change, but also of the circular economy and how individual actions can translate into collective commitment.
✍️ As a journalism student, Katia discovered the weight of responsibility that journalists carry in actively participating in social change — something she had not fully considered before.
💡 The course also introduced her to new concepts, such as eco-anxiety, which she had never previously thought of as an issue linked to sustainability.
🌍 Her advice? Take this course to better understand how sustainability works, how it relates to society, and how important it is to create a sustainable world for our generation and those to come.
🔗 Link in bio
#ELCRA #EnvironmentalLiteracy #ErasmusPlus #MOOC #Journalism #ClimateActivism #HigherEducation #UCM #Madrid #EcoAnxiety #Sustainability #StudentVoice #GreenTransition #EUfunded #YouthEmpowerment
Università di Siena
OpenCom Italy
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas, KU
Instituto Jurídico da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra
Erasmus Student Network Italy - ESN Italia
Erasmus Student Network Portugal - ESN PT
ELCRA
🎬 Video interview | ELCRA in Madrid
🎤 At the 1st International Conference on Environmental Communication, Literacy and Climate Activism, we spoke with Nora Barreto Torres, a third-year Journalism student at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
📚 As a journalism student, Nora found the ELCRA MOOC course particularly useful and innovative: rather than simply providing data on climate change, it offers a social and psychological perspective that other courses often overlook.
💻 Nora greatly appreciated the interactive teaching method: hypertexts, videos and quizzes at the end of each module make revising the content far more engaging.
🌿 One topic that really struck her? Greenwashing. Her generation cares deeply about environmental issues, but not all companies that market themselves as "green" truly live up to that claim.
💡 Her advice: seek out reliable sources, gather diverse information and cross-check everything.
🔗 Link in bio
#ELCRA #EnvironmentalLiteracy #ErasmusPlus #MOOC #Journalism #Greenwashing #ClimateActivism #HigherEducation #UCM #Madrid #CriticalThinking #StudentVoice #GreenTransition #EUfunded #MediaLiteracy
Università di Siena
OpenCom Italy
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas, KU
Instituto Jurídico da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra
Erasmus Student Network Italy - ESN Italia
Erasmus Student Network Portugal - ESN PT