“Teaching is not just transferring knowledge, but rather creating possibilities for its own production or construction.” Paulo Freire

Conversations with Energy program allows students from public and private institutions, from the 2nd to college, to dialogue with public figures about the different challenges proposed by the climate urgency, energy, and sustainability.

From dialogue to knowledge 

This program, created by the EDP Foundation, aims to prepare students, from younger to older crowds, for a more sustainable future, through sharing knowledge about the urgency for climate measures and rational energy use.

This intention is held in conversations between students with some inspiring public figures. Sharing examples from their own jobs or positions provides a reflection on practices to adopt for the construction of a sustainable world.

Inclusive conversations

For these conversations to happen, students from the 5th grade to college, from public and private institutions, and also the so-called schools under PIET (Priority Intervention Educational Territories). This coverage meets the inclusive philosophy of EDP.

Education with energy: how, where, and with whom

The 1st Cycle of Conversations with Energy was held between April 28th and June 7th, 2022. Each conversation was streamlined by a speaker, that had “dialogue” with the present student public.

The first “class” took place on April 28th, with the participation of Carlos Moedas, the head of Lisbon’s city hall, and students from the Agrupamento de Escolas Filipa de Lencastre (Lisboa).

This cycle counted on the contribution of the plastic artist, Joana Vasconcelos, and  José Eduardo Martins, ex-secretary of the Environment, among others.

Sessions took place at MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology), in the area of the “Visual Nature” exhibition. This exhibition results from the critical investigation of climate science, creative practices, and geopolitics.

Education as a strategy for sustainability

By allowing the opportunity to address these conversations for the younger public, EDP intends to stimulate the debate about energy transition, renewable energies, and the need to change behaviors. Education is, consequently, one of the pillars of the global strategy of the social impact of EDP Group.