Bridging Generations

A Dialogical Model for Intergenerational Sustainability Education

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_9How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Co-design; Critical pedagogy; Dialogical models

Abstract

Sustainability is an ancient concept. Contemporary approaches to sustainability education often overlook the rich reservoirs of ancestral knowledge on how to be sustainable. In numerous cultures, including many Asian cultures, the advice of elders regarding resource conservation and financial prudence is commonplace, yet it is often excluded from formal sustainability education. Furthermore, age-segregated learning environments limit valuable opportunities for meaningful intergenerational exchange, hindering a holistic understanding of sustainability stewardship that transcends temporal boundaries.

Drawing on insights from existing literature and Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, this conceptual paper proposes a dialogical model for intergenerational sustainability education. The model seeks to cultivate cross-generational solidarity by empowering students, educators, and community elders to integrate both lived experiences and contemporary knowledge collaboratively. The paper proposes sustainability modules co-designed by students, educators, and community elders for integration into schools and universities. Drawing on pilot initiatives in lifelong learning centres and university outreach programs, the paper outlines a range of participatory strategies, including joint problem-solving workshops, intergenerational mentoring schemes, and reflective narrative circles. These interactive methods can create dialogical spaces where lived experience, ancestral knowledge, and contemporary environmental concerns intersect.

The proposed model has the potential to not only deepen sustainability education but also nurture empathy, mutual respect, and a shared sense of collective responsibility towards the planet. This paper concludes that intergenerational dialogue is not merely a desirable pedagogical supplement but rather a fundamental democratic and collaborative imperative within education for sustainability, fostering a more inclusive and effective approach to addressing global sustainability concerns.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Bhuvan Israni
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/23
TI  - Bridging Generations
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference of Growing up the Future: Education for Sustainability (GROUFES 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 98
EP  - 106
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_9
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_9
ID  - Israni2026
ER  -