This document discusses strategies for capacity building to promote sustainable social change. It provides examples from empirical projects and observations. The key lessons discussed are: - Concrete, sensuous pedagogy that addresses identity and hope is most effective for capacity building. - Understanding the current "constellation" of factors influencing an issue is important to analyze the effects of social change efforts. - Successful environmental movements in Denmark walked "on two legs," combining practical solutions and consumer approaches with social criticism and alternatives. - Capacity building empowers people to overcome roadblocks to sustainability and address efforts to undermine social change initiatives.

1. AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
PEDAGOGICAL
APPROACH TO ADULT
ESD
Capacity building for sustainable societal
change – some lessons from empirical projects
and observations

2. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
THIS PRESENTATION
Two sources of inspiration:
• Key points from evaluations of the two first Nordic in-service training courses on adult
ESD
• Examples and lessons about capacity building from efforts to promote sustainable
social change

3. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
THE NORDIC COURSE AND ITS EXAMPLE
PEDAGOGY
Example Pedagogy:
 Most remarkable and succesful
 Concrete/sensuous
 Reflections/Knowledge sharing
 Addresses need for hope and identity
 From examples to exemplary learning
 To link practice and theory
 To find the general in the concrete
 Use examples with general points
 Example: Local NOAH groups in the 70’ties

4. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
EXPLORE THE CURRENT
CONSTELLATIONS
Example:
The break through of organic food in Denmark
 Simple causal logic: Lower prices
 Constellatoric logic: Several simultaneous factors
 Education as one ‘star’ in the constellation
Lesson: Effects of social change efforts depends on the
competence of analyzing the current constellation of factors.
Thus this kind of ‘sociological imagination’ is important in
capacity building of sustainable change agents
Question: What is the role of capacity building in the current
situations in our countries?

5. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
WALK ON TWO LEGS
Example:
The two most succesful environmental
movements in Denmark: The energy and organic
food movements
Lesson:
 technological/practical and consumer
culture oriented
 criticism and alternatives
Questions:
 Where are we today? What can move the
criticism and alternatives forward – and how
and where can capacity building empower
such processes?
Education from and for sustainability

6. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DON’T THROW LOCAL PROJECTS OUT
– ONLY THE BATH WATER!
Examples:
 Green Municipalities
 Green Guide Scheme
Lessons:
 In general: Assimilations, not
transgressions
 However, also examples of new
commitments and structural change
effects
 Capacity building as empowering people
to face and overcome road blocks for
sustainability

7. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
OVERCOME PASSIFYING STRATEGIES
Example:
 Alternativet – new Danish political
party
Lessons:
 Change agents needs to face their
opponents and address their efforts to
‘out- og in-define’ them.
 Do not get in a fixed position. Combine
radical and konventional actions
 Suggest attractive (competing)
alternatives
 Capacity building as ability to reveal
passifying techniques and cope with
resistance

8. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
MANAGE YOUR OWN ENTHUSIASM
Example:
 Mrs. Green
Lesson:
 Enthusiasm is crucial – in positive or
negative ways
 Capacity building as a matter of learning
both capacity builders and students to
cope with their own enthusiasm
 Engagement, will and strength combined
with emphaty, respect, open mindedness

9. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LESSONS FROM SAMSØ
 Example:
 Samsø renewable energy island
 Lessons:
 Social ecological approach
 Regular inclusion of economy
 Drawing on history and cultural identity
 Narration of the collective learning
 Careful facilitation
 Social learning and change as long
termed processes
 Capacity building by means of
exemplary learning

10. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
FROM EXEMPLARY LEARNING TO
RE-CONTEXTUALISATION
 Criticism of ‘best practice’ as immediate
transferable solutions
 Alternative approach: C-A-C
C: interesting concrete examples
A: Exemplary learning from examples
C: Recontextualisation to own time and
place
 Capacity building as giving time and guidance
in re-contextualisation
 Example: the Nordic in-service training course:
Each students worked with a sustainablity
change project in their own context
Concrete Concrete
Abstract

11. AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
EXTRA MATERIAL

12. ESD: FUTURE MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES JEPPE LÆSSØE
12 OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSOR WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DANISH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
CHANGE AGENT ‘LANDSCAPE’
open-ended
instrumental
Personal involvedPersonal detached