We live in a world that is rapidly changing in response to ecological, social and economic crises and political developments. These challenges not only expose boundaries of existing systems, but also confront us with questions of fairness, equality and access to opportunities and resources. In this context, an important question arises: What does fairness mean? How would you define it? How can you integrate it into education, collaborations and practice? And how do we broaden the concept to non-human entities such as animals, rivers or forests and to future generations? During Green Pepper 2025, we invite educators, policy makers, researchers and students to reflect together and find answers to these questions.

The World, We, You

We look at justice from three shells, namely:

1. You: the individual.. Justice in transition asks us to look critically at how we ourselves live, work and learn. It provides space to examine how change affects our daily lives and to reflect on how we deal with it in a just and conscious way.

2.We: your community, your team, your institution or your local city. Justice asks us to reflect and take action with and in our immediate environment. How do we increase the potential in the environment in which we live and work?And how can we be more social and inclusive even if we don’t always know each other personally?

3. The world: the broad natural and social structures around us now and in the future. It encourages us to think further ahead and to respect the rights of nature. Thus we plant seeds of change that may not always grow immediately, but whose roots will grow strong and deep to support future generations.

The approach of the day is to experience, connect and co-create on the above questions. We hope to go home with new insights about what justice means in this time of rapid change, what educational practices are valuable in this context, what schools of thought we can explore, and what new ideas we can develop.

Subthemes

Within the theme, we have a number of subthemes:

Collective Responsibility

Justice in transitions requires a clear and flexible moral compass. This subtheme focuses on how we deal with psychological distance in space and time, and how we can develop empathy. Transitions bring questions about our responsibility to others, both near and far, now and in the future. In these sessions, we explore how we can strengthen empathy to broaden our actions and promote justice in transitions. We also look at how we can redefine moral boundaries for the equitable use of natural resources.

Creativity, Design and Art

Creativity plays a key role in opening new perspectives and inspiring collaboration. How can art and design contribute to an inclusive and equitable transition? In workshops, we will explore how to design spaces where people share new insights together, redefine challenges and co-create solutions. Art can contribute not only to imagining a better world, but also to building bridges between people and ideas. Together, we explore how creativity can be a catalyst for just change.

Rights for Nature

This subtheme explores how we as humans can become part of nature again and also how we recognize nature in legal structures. We explore how people can become part of nature again, as indigenous peoples often emphasize. How can we encourage wonder for nature and grow care for it in education? At the same time, this sub-theme provides space to explore the legal aspects of recognition. What rights does the urban forest have? How can you better understand and grant rights to ancient beech trees and our country’s flowing rivers, but also recognize eco-genocide in the Amazon? The workshops under this theme address some of these questions.

Building Bridges in Learning Environment

How can we transform classrooms into places of equity and inclusivity? In these sessions, we will explore how teachers can facilitate conversations about cultural, social and environmental differences, and how discomfort and conflict can be transformed into opportunities for growth. How do you build bridges between today’s genius students and the future generation? What materials can you use to experience intergenerational justice in the classroom? We also look at ways to engage education professionals and students in building bridges in the classroom. Teachers will learn how to use differences as a force in learning and promote inclusivity.

Equity in the Institution

Educational institutions play a critical role in promoting equity. How can institutions themselves act equitably and contribute to an inclusive society? These sessions focus on developing and implementing projects, methods and activities that promote solidarity and inclusiveness. We explore how organizational systems can function fairly, and how all stakeholders – from staff to students – can work together for structural change within the institution. After all, justice starts at the grassroots: how an organization shapes itself and communicates its values

Call for workshops and theme sessions

Would you like to contribute to Green Pepper through a workshop? Then don’t hesitate to submit your workshop. Please do so by February 4, 2025.

Each workshop focuses on one or more of the shells in the figure above and offers participants the opportunity to experience, connect and co-create. When registering, please indicate which subtheme your session addresses, whether it involves experiencing, connecting or co-creating, and the length of the session.

We invite workshop leaders to offer concrete examples of transition issues, for example from their own educational experience or specific transitions such as energy, food, circular economy or digitalization. The goal is that participants go home with something concrete: practical tools they can apply in their education or daily lives.

Together we build a just and sustainable future!