Torvald JacobssonDirector, YMP

YMP

Young Masters Programme on Sustainable Development

YMP – what is it?

• Global web-based education and learning network for ESD

• Designed for students between 16-18 years

• Free of charge for schools, teachers and students

• 113 countries and 20 000 students since 1999

• User-created real-time, real-life case gallery, that grows over time

• All course material in English with built-in narration and glossary. Learning platform soon available in several languages.

• Promoting local activities and international networks

• Course duration18 weeks, plus voluntary project work

• New platform opens now, end of October 2011 with a initial capacity of 200 000 students simultaneously.

YMP - How does it work?

• A teacher registers 3-5 students• The group is allocated to a global virtual classroom• Access the course material online or download to a local

computer • Discuss learning activities and findings with your local

group and teacher• Present and disseminate your learning activities and

findings in the virtual global classroom (online/offline, (offline activities often outside school)

• Feedback is provided and received by groups and teachers in an innovative system of peer review, based on experience from the IIIEE

• Fulfil all learning activities to receive a YMP Diploma• Upload your approved project work to be eligible for

participation in entrepreneurship courses, scholarships and to be able to attend the YMP global youth conventions

Project Work: Portugal (Poverty)

• Partnership/exchange of teachers between Portugal and S. Tome e Principe (island nation in Africa). Presentations by teachers impacted students in Portugal.

• Focus on Millennium Development Goals to Reduce Poverty and Promote Equality, and increase awareness of poverty and sustainability.

• Solidarity show organised by students in Portugal to collect school materials to send to Africa. Organised shipment of school materials to Africa.

Project Work: China (Energy)

• The students wanted to explore if biogas can be used in urban areas. Biogas can be used to help people make meals, supply heat and electricity, and the waste residue of biogas can be used as a natural fertilizer.

• The students designed a biogas generator model appropriate for urban areas, and presented the project to the local government. The students created a blog that contains information about the project.

• The students combined an engineering challenge with information dissemination and engaged the local government.

Project Work: Sweden (Water)

• The students wanted to explore preventive and sustainable solutions to the eutrophication problems in local lakes caused by extensive agriculture.

• The students contacted the local government and discovered the expansion of wetlands around the lakes as a measure for trapping nutrients leaking from agriculture and private households.

• The students investigated further solutions and interacted with a private company that markets a waste water treatment system based on a natural ecological process.

IIIEE and the Origin of YMP

• International perspective on sustainability solutions• Peer learning! Students to students with teachers and

tutors as facilitators or guides• International Masters Programmes• Diversity of cultures, backgrounds and educations• Collaborative learning (teams) – individual activities,

small groups, class interactions• Web-based education and action research• Alumni network – vibrant and interactive• YMP – a living lab for taking the IIIEE experiences to

the internet and young students. Now up-scaling in participation with UNESCO et al.

Experiences of Participants

• Students – creative, fun, developing visions, applying ideas, ”know the world”, YMP Diploma

• Teachers – networking, expanding learning and teaching possibilities, catalyses ESD in local curricula, YMP Teacher Certificate

Vision for the YMP

The most comprehensive and exciting learning networkon sustainable development in the world!

Available for freefor young people everywhere!

TeachersStudents

Traditional ClassroomBottle neck: Physical room

Traditional Distance EducationBottle neck: Feedback quality

Community Based LearningBottleneck: Quality of Learning Architecture*

*Learning Architecture

“Rules” set up within the system to regulate/promote quality feedback, contributions from, and interactivity between, students/teachers in the

community.

Community-based Learning

Challenge

• 20 years experience on collaborative ESD learning – The ”know-how” of the IIIEE

• Adapted to the contemporary web – Social network strategy, gamification, self-explanatory GUI etc – Global – not American!

• ”Facilitated Peer-learning” • Off-line local activities in synergy with on-

line dialogue and interaction• Transformative learning – promoting local

change• Collaborative textbook – ”snapshots of the

world right now” through eyes of your peers. Differences and similarities

Summary of the YMP

Scientific base of knowledgeProactive, practical and empowerment

approach

Global outreach and interaction

Rapidly growing gallery of real-life cases

Facilitated peer-learning

Scale advantages

Good experiences from China

Thank You!

WWW.GoYmp.org

Torvald JacobssonDirector, YMP

Lund University, Sweden

torvald.jacobsson@iiiee.lu.se

+46 70 5236547