Empowering children to take climate action
Over 9 in 10 UK children are concerned about climate change. Young people are keen to learn how to protect and preserve the planet, but don’t feel that schools are equipping them with practical skills to do so. How can we support schools to deliver the actionable knowledge young people are demanding?
Organisations have an opportunity to contribute through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programmes. By supporting schools in teaching about environmental concerns, businesses help create a sustainability mindset that will prepare students to address climate concerns now and in the future.
The problem
Young people are worried about climate change and want to learn how to protect the environment, but feel unprepared and not listened to:
The reasoning
When young people are prepared to make sustainable choices and act on their knowledge about climate change, they feel less anxious and more positive about the future. UNESCO1 recommends that climate change education should provide children with the ability to take action and create positive change.
Learning about the impact of recycling and how products can be reused helps children build a sustainability mindset and gain confidence in their ability to contribute to the planet. However, a global survey2 has found that 77% of schoolteachers don’t feel prepared to teach about climate action. They need support to engage students in environmental learning.
The how
To support UK schools in teaching a sustainability mindset, organisations can sponsor EVERFI’s Sustainability Foundations: Ready to Recycle course. Through this course, 9-to-11-year-olds can learn about the trade-offs of mining, refining, and recycling, and simulate making real-world decisions about promoting change as consumers, at every stage of a product’s lifecycle. They are equipped to:
- Recycle effectively
- Extend the lifecycle of a product
- Weigh up sustainable choices within a budget
The course is delivered through classroom activities and engaging digital lessons that include narrative-based, interactive animated content and quizzes that act as ‘knowledge checks’ to reinforce learning. Ready to Recycle arms pupils with the knowledge they need to make sustainable choices and preserve the planet’s resources for future generations.
Teachers can deliver this course in classrooms anywhere in the country; organisations can offer it to schools in specific regions or scale it up to reach a larger number of students.
The impact
Ready to Recycle significantly increases students’ knowledge and changes their attitude about sustainability practices:
Empower children to take climate action
Talk to us about bringing this course to young people in your community.
Sources:
1 UNESCO. (2022). Youth demands for quality climate change education.
2 UNESCO. (2021). Teachers have their say.
Infographic data sources:
1 UNICEF. (2021). 9 in 10 children are worried about climate change.
2 UNESCO. (2022). Youth demands for quality climate change education.
Participants say:
‘What I like best about this course is that I get to learn how I can help my environment and make a good impact on it.’ – Student
‘The course shows different ways we can save/help our environment and talks about different recyclable materials that aren’t just paper, plastic, and glass.’ – Student
‘I like that it brought awareness to the daily problems we constantly face with pollution and taught it in an interactive yet fun experience.’’ – Student
Teachers rated the quality of the course content at 98%:
‘Ready to Recycle teaches foundational skills and links to real life.’ – Teacher
Empower children to take climate action
Talk to us about bringing this course to young people in your community.
