On 23 April 2026, the Science Club Belgrade hosted the final gathering of participants and facilitators involved in the Soil Detectives programme. The Centre for the Promotion of Science welcomed representatives from five local science clubs participating in the programme: Novi Sad, Smederevo, Kragujevac, Kruševac, and Niš.
The Soil Detectives programme was implemented within the framework of the IMP>ACT project, which aims to develop an evaluation framework for assessing the impact of sustainability and climate change education programmes. As one of the educational initiatives included in the project’s case studies, Soil Detectives explores how participation can contribute to the development of action orientation and action competence related to soil health. The programme is based on and adapted from the LOESS project learning scenarios developed to support soil health education.
During the event, representatives of the participating science clubs presented the results of their local activities, highlighting the diversity of soil types and soil-related challenges across different regions of Serbia. Participants compared their findings, shared ideas for improving soil health in their communities, and discussed concrete actions that could contribute to the protection and restoration of healthy soils. As one of the IMP>ACT case studies, the programme provides valuable insights into how sustainability education can foster learners’ action competence and support meaningful engagement with environmental challenges.
As part of the IMP>ACT research activities, participants and facilitators also took part in focus groups and interviews aimed at assessing the programme’s educational impact. Together with survey data, these insights will contribute to the development and validation of the IMP>ACT evaluation framework, supporting the improvement of sustainability and climate change education programmes across Europe.
Photo credit: Marko Risović.