This September, "Entrepreneurship to fight climate change" becomes part of "InnoVERT – Educar para Transformar", an initiative funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and led by CODESPA and ACODEA, in collaboration with Junior Achievement. As a result of this partnership, the programme will now be known as "InnoVERT por el Clima".
International development NGO CODESPA, together with the Spanish agricultural development cooperation agency ACODEA and in collaboration with Junior Achievement Spain, has launched “InnoVERT – Educar para Transformar”, a project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
The initiative will engage more than 2,500 young people aged 12 to 25 across Spain, encouraging them to take an active role in designing solutions to real-world challenges related to environmental sustainability, the circular economy and climate action.
InnoVERT promotes education, innovation and entrepreneurship as key drivers of the transition towards more sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic models. Its objective is to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to understand today’s social and environmental challenges and transform them into opportunities for positive change.
Through hands-on, experiential learning methodologies, participants will develop essential skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and creative thinking, while identifying challenges within their communities and designing solutions with tangible social and environmental impact.
The project also reinforces the role of education as a catalyst for change by connecting local learning experiences with international perspectives. Drawing on best practices and experiences from the Global South, InnoVERT will foster dialogue among young people, educators, social organisations, public institutions and economic stakeholders, helping to build a more informed and engaged global citizenship.
A Partnership to Drive Change
InnoVERT brings together three organisations with complementary expertise in international development, rural transformation and education.
The initiative was created by CODESPA, which contributes its extensive experience in inclusive economic development and draws on lessons learned from its work with vulnerable communities across Latin America, Africa and Asia, particularly in areas such as circular economy, regenerative agriculture and sustainable tourism.
ACODEA adds its expertise in rural development and cooperativism, strengthening the project’s connection with local communities and the agri-food sector. The organisation will also facilitate the participation of professionals from its Agripooler programme, an international network of agricultural experts who will support students as mentors.
Junior Achievement Spain, a leading organisation in youth entrepreneurship and educational innovation, contributes its proven learning methodologies designed to help students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Together, the three organisations aim to provide young people with direct exposure to real sustainability initiatives and demonstrate how international cooperation can create economic opportunities, strengthen social cohesion and contribute to addressing global challenges such as climate change.
Laura González, Chief Operating Officer of Junior Achievement Spain, highlighted the importance of connecting learning with real-life experiences:
“With InnoVERT, we want what happens in the classroom to be more closely connected to what happens beyond it. Alongside introducing young people to examples of social and environmental entrepreneurship from around the world, we want them to engage directly with rural communities, professionals and stakeholders in their own environments. The goal is for them to understand the challenges and opportunities around them, work on solutions and take their ideas beyond the classroom. This connection to reality is essential if entrepreneurship is to become more than a school activity and instead a meaningful experience that helps young people explore possibilities and shape their futures.”
Through this collaborative approach, InnoVERT seeks to inspire a new generation of changemakers capable of building more sustainable and inclusive communities, both locally and globally.
