The multi-award-winning Schools@University for Sustainability + Climate Protection has been offering week-long programs and training sessions on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for classes and teachers twice a year for 20 years now. Founder and project manager Karola Braun-Wanke looks back on how it all began, and what makes the scheme so successful.

What was the idea behind the project?

The Schools@University program was first implemented as a pilot project in 2006 as part of an international conference on issues related to the energy transition. As a scientist, it was clear to me at the time: we must also open these future-relevant discussions to children and young people. My research at Berlin schools quickly showed that teachers had a fundamental interest in energy and sustainability topics but often lacked the technical foundations and pedagogical approaches. This is exactly where I wanted to start. To this day, the Schools@ University stands for transformative education that focuses on climate, species, and resource conservation as well as issues of justice, and teaches children through all their senses how they can use knowledge and creativity to shape a climate-friendly, just life in harmony with nature. It is, by the way, a true success story: Over 50,000 students and 4,500 teachers have now participated in our educational program.

In your view, what factors were crucial in establishing Schools@University so successfully over the past 20 years?

Any project idea is only as good as the conceptual and financial support it receives. But to keep going for so long, you also need a high level of intrinsic motivation and staying power. Opening the university as a learning space for climate and sustainability to schools was a novelty in education policy at the time and immediately resonated widely. We received early support from key stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry for the Environment, renowned climate scientists, and the university administration. This was supplemented by funding from the European Commission and the Berlin Senate. The fact that the Schools@University program remains so widely accepted today is because we see ourselves as a learning project. This means that we constantly adapt the program’s content and methods to the challenges faced by teachers.

It may come as a surprise to find an educational program for 5th and 6th graders at a university. Why is Freie Universität the right place for such a project?

Schools@University is not just an add-on; it creates real added value for the university. Following an initial pilot phase, the educational format has been continuously refined as part of a three-year international research project in collaboration with five European universities. With our free program, Freie Universität also serves as a role model for educational equity and social participation. Children get to know the university as an inspiring place of learning and engage with future-oriented topics such as climate, species, and nature conservation. This supports the next generation while also contributing to the fulfillment of the goals set forth in the climate protection agreement between the Berlin Senate and the university. It also benefits teacher education. As key advocates for education for sustainable development, student teachers develop workshops for us and implement them in practice. Our university thus underscores its credibility in the area of sustainability.

The core of Schools@University is based on a strong network of around 100 trainers, both from Freie Universität and from the wider community. How important is this network?

Cooperation and co-creation are in our DNA. Over the years, we have built a strong educational network spanning academia, culture, business, and associations. It is only through the diversity of our trainers from various backgrounds that we can offer the quality and variety of perspectives found in our approximately 150 annual workshops and training sessions. Our partners also benefit from this. Through us, they reach new target groups and can test new educational formats.

Given current developments, what path will Schools@University take next?

To ensure successful social cohesion, we will continue to need spaces for learning and experience where children and young people can engage in negotiation processes and foster solidarity. With our program, we aim to remain closely attuned to current social issues and the students’ lived experiences. This needs-based and personalized approach is and will remain the key to our success.

The interview was conducted by Judith Hübner, Katrin Schweigel, and Andreas Wanke.
It first appeared in Freie Universität Berlin’s 2026 Sustainability Report.