Introducing the RISE UP Adapted Framework

Shaping a new approach to climate change

In our first newsletter, we shared why the RISE UP projectexists and how the climate crisis can feel overwhelming forstudents in higher education.

This newsletter focuses on the work RISE UP has done, theresearch, frameworks, and thinking that guide how RISE UPsupports higher education throughout Europe.

What we heard from educators

By reviewing existing research and speaking with higher education professionals andclimate resilience experts, the project explored how sustainability shows up inclassrooms, and how students respond to it.

Across different contexts, educators shared a similar concern, climate topics areincreasingly included in university courses, but many students struggle to manage theemotional weight that comes with them. Feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and overloadwere common, especially when emotional support was not built into learningenvironments.

RISE UP was shaped directly by these insights, with the goal of supporting educatorsin the academic and emotional side of climate change education.

Adapting sustainability through the RISEUP framework

Instead of building something entirely new, RISE UP builds onexisting European sustainability guidance, such as theGreenComp framework. GreenComp shows key sustainabilitypractices as well as ways of thinking that are used widely acrossEurope.

RISE UP takes this a step further by adapting it for highereducation, where the emotional side of learning about climatechange plays a big role. The project reshapes GreenComp in away that reflects how college students actually experienceclimate change education today.

What's being developed

One of the main outcomes of the project is the RISE UP AdaptedGreenComp Framework for Young Adults. It builds on theoriginal GreenComp structure while placing greater emphasis onemotional awareness, resilience, and reflection withinsustainability education.

This adapted framework provides the foundation for the toolsRISE UP is developing to support higher education teaching andlearning. Additionally, the Policy Brief, grounded in the AdaptedFramework, outlines how it can inform policy development,curriculum reform, and professional training, helping equipeducators and students with the competences needed tonavigate the emotional and cognitive challenges of the climatecrisis.

The four core competence areas

At the heart of the RISE UP Adapted Framework are fourinterconnected competence areas that guide how young adultsunderstand, experience, and engage with sustainability:

Embodying sustainability – personal values, emotionalawareness, and mindful engagement. It focuses on lived,personal experience.

Embracing complexity in sustainability – understandinguncertainty, systems thinking, and resilience. It helps studentsnavigate complexity without overwhelm.

Envisioning sustainable futures – hope, adaptability, andcreative exploration. It supports positive, future-orientedthinking.

Acting for sustainability – meaningful action grounded inreflection and care. It connects learning with real-world action.

What's coming next

As the project moves forward, the Adapted Framework and Policy Brief will continueto be shared, alongside ongoing work on the RISE UP tools. In the upcoming monthsthese resources will be tested and refined with higher education partners, and we'llshare updates along the way.

Coming soon:

• An educator toolbox to support emotionally aware climate education in what'scoming next
• A digital knowledge hub and assessment app

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Stay up to date

Missed our first newsletter?

You can read it HERE

Follow RISE UP on LinkedIn for project updates and news

Click HERE for our website

With the financial support of:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those ofthe author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or theEuropean Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor thegranting authority can be held responsible for them.

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