Sustainability is central to LIFENAT, officially launched in Malta with EU recognition, promoting sustainability in education, advancing sustainability practices, and strengthening sustainability through outdoor learning and inclusive early childhood education.
The European project LIFENAT – Little Footsteps IN NATure has taken an important institutional step with the official awarding of the Grant Award Certificate, received on 24 October 2025 in Malta by Sergio Passariello CEO of MACTT Educational Group Ltd, the project coordinator.
The event, which saw the participation of important institutional representatives, marked the official start of a two-year European path, during which the project will promote educational innovation through outdoor learning, inclusion, well-being and sustainability.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Hon. Dr. Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Minister for European Funds and Implementation of the Electoral Programme, the National Coordinator of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, Mr. Raphael Scerri, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Jonathan Vassallo. This institutional recognition underlines the relevance of the project in contributing to European objectives related to education and sustainability.
LIFENAT was created with the aim of integrating sustainability into early childhood educational pathways, developing concrete tools to support educators and schools in the adoption of innovative methodologies based on outdoor learning. Sustainability is therefore proposed not only as an educational theme, but as a transversal approach that guides all the activities of the project.
The international partnership, consisting of MACTT (Malta), St. Edward’s College (Malta) and Agrupamento de Escolas D. Dinis (Portugal), will collaborate to develop educational resources, training programs and pilot activities, with the aim of making sustainability an integral part of children’s learning experiences.
Through the planned activities, sustainability will be promoted through practical experiences that directly involve children in natural contexts, encouraging the development of responsible behaviors and greater environmental awareness. This approach makes sustainability accessible and understandable from the earliest years of life.
A key element of the project will be the creation of an educational toolkit and a teacher training programme, designed to facilitate the integration of sustainability into daily teaching activities. These tools will be developed with an inclusive approach, ensuring that sustainability can be adapted to different educational needs.
The piloting activities that will be implemented in the two partner countries will allow to test the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies in the field, verifying how sustainability can be applied in real educational contexts and contribute to the well-being of children.
At the same time, the dissemination activities will aim to expand the impact of the project, promoting sustainability among schools, families and local communities. In this way, the project aims to foster a broader cultural change, in line with European priorities.
The awarding of the Grant therefore represents not only a formal recognition, but also the beginning of a path that places sustainability at the center of early childhood education, contributing to the construction of a more inclusive and conscious future.
