Engaging Youth, Inspiring Change
Make the link – Climate ex Change is a 3 year project funded by the European Union, promoting learning, dialogue and action on climate change through linking 11-19 year olds in primary and secondary schools, as well as youth groups in the EU (UK, Netherlands and Bulgaria) with those in Africa (Malawi, Senegal and Kenya).
Participating schools and youth groups will learn about climate change using specifically designed
Learning Resources and a user-friendly, interactive web platform. The Learning Resources include flexible lesson plans, teaching resources and supplementary worksheets for young people, to explore the human challenges presented by climate change and the effect it is having on the lives of real people around the world.
Using the web platform, young people will connect with one another via messaging, blogging and group discussions to exchange their ideas and experiences of climate change, and collaborate on projects and campaigns locally, nationally and internationally. By discussing climate change with their peers abroad, young people will gain insight into cultural differences, personal similarities and what they can do to make positive changes for the future of the planet.
Visit Make the Link – Climate ex Change website on
www.mtl-cec.org,
Schools and youth groups who are keen to get more involved in advocacy actions have opportunities to take their knowledge and turn it into meaningful action through campaigns at the school, community and national levels. The project offers schools and youth groups the chance to win
grants of €100 Euros and €300 Euros for these campaigns and awareness-raising activities.
There are also national competitions each year for schools and youth groups to submit the fun and creative ways they are talking about climate change issues – this could be through video, photography, drama, essays, anything really! The winners will receive €200 Euros to put towards making their school or community environmentally friendly.
The project is also aimed at equipping teachers and youth group leaders with the knowledge and skills to teach climate change and development issues in the formal and informal education setting.
The emphasis of the project is on the practical steps young people might take as a result of this enhanced knowledge, to tackle climate change as active citizens.
Read about one of the successful residential in Kent that has been blogged about by them:
http://www.mtl-cec.org/young-eco-campaigners-tackle-climate-change.html
Also you can watch a recently uploaded video from a virtual climate summit between two schools in the UK and the Netherlands:
http://www.mtl-cec.org/exchange/general/107-the-virtual-climate-summit.html?userid=90
Published: 02/06/2011 14:59:59