Source: Press Release Service – New Zealand
Nearly 500,000 youth aged 5-22 years are coming together virtually to interact as climate change activists in a free, interactive innovation project called the Climate Action Project. The project takes place for six weeks from September 28 to November 8 where students take action for the environment by studying and finding solutions to the climate change crisis.
The project is designed to inspire questions as opposed to simply providing answers. Students will design, invent, campaign, and share their stories with the world through use of technology and creative expression of ideas.
In supporting the Climate Action Project, EP CEO Alex Burke saw an opportunity to help students create real change and assist in bringing students together to learn, think and do, with regard to the environment.
“EP is proud to join with world leaders in governments, environmental organisations and many notable global changemakers, to magnify the project’s messages and activities to our almost 1.5 million students around the world, on the EP online learning platform.
“Education is key to changing students’ behaviour and society’s mindset. For this we need to understand that students can do so much more than memorising facts about climate and environment. They have the capacity to solve real-world solutions and take action for a better world,” said Koen Timmers, Climate Action Project founder.
EP is in good company. In its fourth year, the project has gained support from world leaders and global experts with endorsements from HH the Dalai Lama, Dr. Jane Goodall, Austria President Van der Bellen, Ireland President Michael Higgins, and Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala Yousafzai. Any student, anywhere on the planet is invited to be a part of the project created by the education non-profit Take Action Global in collaboration with WWF International, NASA, and the United Nations. The project is further endorsed by the European Commission and Ministries of Education and Environment from 15 countries.
As part of the project, teachers receive high-quality professional development offered by world-renowned education leaders, and all classrooms have access to the complete curriculum which is co-authored by WWF and translated in over 10 languages.
EP is also providing free access for six weeks to hundreds of EP climate action resources that support teaching alongside the Climate Action Project.
“At EP, we believe online learning is not just for students, but teachers as well. With the rate of change in so many areas of our lives accelerating, it is vital for teachers to continue learning to stay relevant and up to date.
“The Climate Action Project provides an opportunity for teachers to develop their own knowledge from world-renowned experts,” said Burke.
Over the course of the six weeks, students will work to develop their own solutions to climate change after building foundational knowledge, considering bias and scientific evidence, establishing trusted sources, and creating personal connections with the work of environmental justice.
Classrooms will expand perspectives of the climate crisis beyond the walls of schools through intergenerational interviews and in class-to-class virtual exchange experiences working with other youth who may look and live differently from them. Students will progress through hands-on learning experiences to gain understandings of causes, effects, and solutions as both global collaborators and also knowledge constructors.
NZ Ambassador for the Climate Action Project, Rachel Chisnall, a teacher based in Dunedin, has participated in the project with her classes in previous years and has seen, first-hand, what a positive and meaningful experience it is.
“Climate is an important issue for students today, with some even developing anxiety over it. I’ve found that taking real action in our own community empowers students and shows them how small actions can have a big impact,” said Chisnall.
“Planting ten trees for our local wetland restoration may influence ten other schools, that each plant ten trees in their local area.
“Our small action can create a direct action of 100 more trees, and indirectly, many more.”
In fact, last year, more than one million trees were planted by those participating in the Climate Action Project.
The Climate Action Project will conclude with a week of action and Climate Action Day, a global online celebration of learning to be held on November 5, 2020. During the online event, classrooms will join to hear from presenters, including primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, Princess Esmerelda of Belgium, explorer Céline Cousteau, NASA Head of Mars Mission Dr. Rick Davis, and experts from WWF, UN, and UNEP. Participating students will also have the opportunity to apply to join as speakers to share their solutions with the world.
Teachers are invited to join the Climate Action Project and registration is open for all on the Climate Action Project website (http://www.climate-action.info).
About EP:
Education Perfect (EP) is a leading digital platform, enabling transformative online teaching and learning experiences to power the 21st century classroom. EP supports the engagement of students in online learning, provides effective assessment during the learning online process, and enables the collection and analysis of student feedback. With offices in Australia, NZ, and Singapore, and over 1.2 million students through over 4,000 schools, in 80+ countries globally, EP’s integrated smart technology enhances teaching and learning through curriculum-based content delivery and a ‘learner centred’ approach, improving learning outcomes and creating lifelong learners – for School, for the Home and for Work.
Media Release on 13 October 2020
Media Contact
Alana Fisher-Chejoski, The Big Smoke
Email: alana.fisherchejoski@thebigsmoke.com.au
Website: https://epforschool.com/en/climate-action-project/
