From Poland to Athens, participatory education takes shape

Commonspace builds bridges: from Poland to Athens, participatory education takes shape

After years of fruitful collaboration, commonspace and SPATIA Teacher's Academy continue to invest concretely in education. Through four actions, they strengthen public dialogue among educators, aiming to embed participatory methodologies into everyday teaching practice — because we believe that's where real change begins.

In Katowice, Poland, members of our team met with educators at the University of Silesia. A meeting rich in shared experience around participatory education, climate action in schools, and the role of the teacher as a bridge between theory and the local community.

In Athens, three 5-day trainings brought together educators from Poland, Ireland, and Italy, centered on participatory design as a tool for climate and social awareness. Through the "Prepare – Act – Evaluate" methodology, teachers didn't just discuss theory: they mapped stakeholders themselves, designed participatory plans for a relaxation space in their own schools, and faced the real challenges they'll encounter back home.

The trainings closed with visits to civil society organizations and living examples of participatory design in action — such as El Alamein Square and the riverside zone in Halandri, both co-designed through the Cultural H.ID.R.A.N.T. project. A vivid reminder that theory can become a place, a neighborhood, everyday life.

These actions highlight something central to commonspace's philosophy: change in education doesn't come from ready-made recipes, but from educators who talk, exchange, question, and rebuild their methods together — so that students of every age learn to see their school and city as a space they are responsible for, and grow into active, aware citizens on the environmental and social issues of our time.