We are excited to announce that applications are now open for the first global cohort of educators and schools participating in Land Action Labs in 2027.
Our lives are rooted in land. It gives us food and water, sustains the living systems we depend on, and is woven into how we live, work and relate to the places around us. At a time when around 40% of the world’s land is degraded, affecting people and ecosystems worldwide, there is an important opportunity to help young people understand these connections and discover how they can care for, protect and restore the places and living systems around them.
Land Action Labs is a global pilot co-developed by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), through its Global Schools Program, and the G20 Global Land Initiative at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It is designed to help educators bring meaningful learning about land, restoration and protection into primary and secondary education. It offers a supported professional learning experience for educators, a transformative learning approach for students, and a chance to connect subjects, place, community and action in ways that can genuinely enrich teaching and learning.
PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT
Educators participating in the global pilot will:
Complete a self-paced online course on land restoration (about 10 hours)
Receive access to a practical Educator Handbook, hands-on Primary and Secondary Activity Guides, live sessions with experts, online exchanges with educators from around the world, and practical implementation support. Selected participants will also be able to apply for mini grants for their class or school.
Take the first steps towards bringing Land Action Labs into their teaching. This could start with a place students know, a question they are asking, something already in the curriculum or a local partner they can learn from. One meaningful learning experience on land is enough to participate. No specialist expertise, extensive green space or major project is required.
Educators can apply individually, and several colleagues from the same school are welcome to apply. School leaders or coordinators can also apply on behalf of colleagues.
The attached brochure introduces the approach, what participants receive and what taking part in the pilot involves.
HOW TO APPLY
Complete the Expression of Interest Form by 30 November 2026: https://forms.gle/FEZ4suhKVAyvZhpdA. The form takes about 10 minutes. We will contact applicants in December 2026, and the pilot runs approximately January to June 2027.
JOIN THE ONLINE INFO SESSION
Learn more and ask questions at an online information session for interested educators and schools: Tuesday, 17 November 2026, 9:00 to 10:00 am ET (See the time in your location). Register here https://bit.ly/4iz5AqD.
BENEFITS TO YOU
Free Professional Development: Access online training on land restoration, sustainable land management and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), with a certificate upon successful completion.
Teaching Resources: Gain access to lesson plans, activity guides and practical tools that you can adapt to your curriculum, to integrate land restoration, biodiversity and climate resilience into teaching.
Global Community of Practice: Connect and exchange experiences with educators, schools and international experts working on land restoration and sustainability around the world.
Learning and Action with Students: Bring Land Action Labs into your classroom or school, engaging students in hands-on learning and action for land.
Funding Opportunities: Apply for mini grants to support eligible student-led land restoration and sustainability projects.
Global Recognition: Share your students’ work and promising practices internationally, and contribute to a global movement of schools advancing land restoration and climate resilience.
Please also feel free to share this opportunity with schools, educators and networks who may be interested in helping young people discover, understand and care for the land and living world we all share.