Emotional intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments. EQ scores predict also important success factors - effectiveness, relationships, well-being and quality of life. In consequence, people with high EQ scores perform better at work and in their personal life (dealing with emotions in everyday situations).
The #edu4sdgs project is based on the emotional intelligence model developed by Six Seconds, the global EQ Network. There are three steps distinguished (1. Know yourself, 2. Choose yourself, 3. Give yourself), and powered by eight competences referring to emotions. For the purpose of the project, Step 3 is the most important. There are two competences assigned to it - Increasing Empathy and Pursuing Noble Goals. The first one means recognizing and effectively connecting with emotions and implies a focus on going beyond our own perspective, and the latter – connecting our daily choices to a long-term, overarching sense of purpose.
People with high EQ scores are also more likely to act for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as defined by the 2030 Agenda, which is a universal plan for the world, presenting a model for sustainable development at the global level. At its heart there are five critical concepts: people, prosperity, planet, partnership and peace, also known as the 5Ps. For each Goal, specific tasks are defined to be achieved by 2030 (the total is 169 tasks), and for each of the tasks - indicators measuring the progress.
The objectives of the project
The project aims to inspire individuals – students, life-long learners as well as education and training providers, teachers and coaches - to take an active role in their communities and become the real agents of change in contributing to the SDGs.
The activities to be carried out in the project respond to the needs defined by the partners within the needs analysis. First of all, the 2030 Agenda is at risk. According to the UN SDGs Report, since 2019 multiple crises have halted SDG progress. Therefore, there is a need to accelerate efforts to achieve the SDGs, and considerable responsibility falls on HEIs. Secondly, Six Seconds warns that due to pandemic and concurrent crises, global levels of EQ dropped by 2% in just 1 year. The biggest decrease is observed in the most vital competences for SDGs - Increasing Empathy (-1,7%) and Pursuing Noble Goals (-5%). OECD, in turn, underlines an increasing interest in micro-credentials. Their mainstreaming is crucial from the economic point of view and also for the societal mission of education (it can complement the more traditional learning to prepare learners for active citizenship). At the same time, a survey conducted recently at TUL shows that most respondents (students, academic staff, and administrative staff) wish to engage for SDGs and they declare interest in SDGs training. According to TUL survey, the vast majority of staff and students say that university should inform its internal and external stakeholders about its SDGs activities, and they believe that SDGs disclosure encourages others to follow.
The scope of the project reflects the need to accelerate higher education contribution to the SDGs and work out an innovative approach to respond to this need. The project focuses on providing learners with skills, mindsets and agency to address the SDGs. Having only knowledge is no longer sufficient. To increase the likelihood that the SDGs will be achieved, we need people who can demonstrate competences such as Increasing Empathy and Pursuing Noble Goals, which are according to Six Seconds, the global EQ Network, part of EQ.
The activities to be completed in the project
The project is addressed to students, academic and administrative staff, HEIs’ decision-makers and lifelong learners from outside the university who want to upgrade their skills for SDGs and develop EQ to expand professional experience and meet the demands of the labor market.
The cross-sectoral consortium will jointly create an online learning space - SDGs University Knowledge Hub – with educational pathways leading the user towards skills development and obtaining recognition in the form of a digital badge. Partners will also create a board game supporting the understanding of the SDGs by shaping emotional intelligence (EQ). The initiative will be complemented by a roadmap for universities and a series of trainings, summer school and webinars for the target group.
The partnership will introduce an innovative mechanism of micro-credentials to enhance the quality, transparency, accessibility and flexibility of the educational offer related to the SDGs.
The consortium of the project
On behalf of TUL, the work of the consortium is coordinated by the Director of the ICC - dr inż. Dorota Piotrowska, university professor. Partners in the project are Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Welfare and Development Association (Spain), ACEEU (Germany), Riga Technical University (Latvia), Team Coaching (Poland). The project budget is 400,000 euro. It starts this autumn.
