Despite the gloomy, foggy weather on 12–13 November, the GAPI face-to-face meeting in Budapest was incredibly cheerful and full of energy. Twelve GAPI member organisations were represented by 18 participants, and the Baltic Environmental Forum from Germany also joined us.
The goal was to share the results of the joint Erasmus+ project Climate Action for All of GAP NL, TVE/Hungary, BEF/Germany, get to know each other’s innovative projects, and brainstorm ideas for future cooperation.
Instead of traditional presentations, we worked in a highly interactive, playful format. Shared dinners and walks added even more to the “GAPI family feeling” and helped us learn more about each other’s work.
A quick snapshot of the highlights:
The Baltic Environmental Forum Germany, GAP Netherlands and TVE have spent the past two years working on the Erasmus+ project SustainableBehaviour: Climate Action for All. Together, they developed a blended adult learning programme that supports people in adopting sustainable everyday habits to reduce their climate impact and move towards a greener lifestyle.
The results of the project speak for themselves:
After the factual updates, each partner shared an interactive learning element from their training courses:
- GAP NL introduced the personal compass exercise, which helps participants reflect on their personality and areas for future growth—a key tool for any coach.
- BEF invited us to examine how everyday items (like baking paper, food containers or plastic slippers) affect the climate, the circular economy and our own health—and what better alternatives exist.
- TVE guided us through an eye-opening activity about digital CO₂ emissions. By reviewing the data stored in our “cloud”, we found that some groups had “virtually driven” from Budapest to Japan several times over!
We also tested four inspiring GAPI member programmes using the deep dive method. With The Environmental Forum (Ireland), we tried the storytelling method to promote public transport and “a Brush with climate” project engaging hairdressers as changemakers. GAP UK introduced us to their Good Life schools programme, while Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, which is part of Aga Khan Schools (Kenya), presented their approaches to designing and implementing professional learning courses that strengthen inclusivity.
We agreed to continue using the deep dive method online from 2026 onwards, to learn from one another more regularly.
A new working group was also formed to involve a postdoctoral researcher to measure the impact of GAPI’s activities—results that can strengthen the network’s visibility and help attract new members.
