Climate Education for System Change

 

The climate crisis is systemic.

It is a product of the way our systems and structures operate.

That requires a radically new approach to climate education.

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A Systems-Informed Approach to Climate Education

Can we really call our children educated if they do not understand the depth and range of the climate crisis?

We need to move away from the traditional approach of teaching about the environment and begin to teach children following a systems-informed approach. This means that learning about the environment is not just about recycling or clean energy, but about understanding how climate change will affect all levels of society, including our economies, cultures, food production and more.

If we teach our children how to think about the climate crisis in larger systems terms, not only will they gain the knowledge necessary to make a difference, but they will also be empowered to become agents of change in their own communities.

Three Pillars of The Climate Academy

Systemic Understanding

The climate crisis is a systemic one and it must be understood within that framework.
This is true for the hard science of what is going on, and all the human systems (social, economic and political) that are in play.
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Civic Service

After establishing a secure understanding, the Climate Academy mobilises students into the civic space at a local, national or global level. In teams, and in collaboration with scientists or leading public figures, the students design and implement projects with muscularity and scalability.
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Systems Entrepreneurship

For open and reflective students, the engagement in the civic space will bring to the surface all the flows and blocks to regenerative change. Puzzling out how best to handle complexity and ambiguity, non-linear development,
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Students & Partners

Vaida Plankytė
Class of 2015

After a degree in Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science, and a Masters in Design Informatics (at The University of Edinburgh), I have been involved as a participant in the Edinburgh Future Institute’s Utopia Lab pilot, which explores the definitions and roles of utopia.
My interest lies in decentralised, healthy technologies that enable communities by encouraging creativity, play and experimentation. In my work, I wish to empower people to explore the ways we relate to the technologies we use. I am also interested in exploring visions of a sustainable future, and the steps we can take to get there.

Nicholas Peroulakis
Class of 2015

Since leaving school, I’ve studied BEng Energy Engineering with Environmental Management at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Despite my background in engineering, I firmly believe that the principle solution to Climate Change is a drastic change in our lifestyles in terms of reducing our resource demand which must be driven by government policy as well as a fundamental shift in public attitude concerning their environmental impact.

Catarina Morais
Class of 2015

After the Climate Academy & I studied International Business Managements. I am now working for the GSA foundation as an Insights Analyst in the Mobile for Development Utilities team. I strongly believe that, along with a shift in thinking and social behaviours, technology is a key catalyser of sustainability, and this is why I invest my time working with innovative practices.

Projects

Our students have made an impact all around Europe. Check out their projects in this reel:

Movies for Change

How did the project originate? Movies for Change was founded by a group of young filmmakers in 2016. They recognized the lack of representation and opportunity for marginalized communities, especially youth from low-income backgrounds. Our goal is to make films that inspire change and give young people tools to become agents of transformation within their…

Resources