1 Why partnership?

Partnership as envisioned in SDG 17 involves working with others towards a common goal. In this case partnership seems a better term to use than collaboration to describe the needful enduring and committed relationships that will enable progress towards sustainability. A partnership can be regarded as a defined relationship, a long-term understanding of the commitment offered and required by all the parties that are involved.

Collaboration can be seen as a less formal commitment. Two institutions, groups or individuals may collaborate on a certain task, each using the skills they have in pursuit of completing that task, informally filling in for the other if support becomes necessary or circumstances alter. Collaborations often are formed for short-term, specific projects without formal obligations. Partnerships, on the other hand, are more structured and typically involve a long-term commitment with shared responsibilities, risks, and benefits. It is in the setting out of those roles, responsibilities, risks and benefits that partnerships are formed. So, in this unit partnerships formed for learning will be discussed, with their defined roles and responsibilities rather than collaborative learning. Within effective partnerships the benefits of collaborative learning are likely to be realised as the structure of a partnership will help those benefits to be realised.

In order to use partnership as a pedagogy, learners will need to develop the skills and qualities that support partnership working. Partnership is seen as a sustainable pedagogy through learning to form, structure and work within a partnership, within which learners can grow and develop the collaborative skills that are seen as necessary to live sustainably.