Congratulations to our teachers who have completed the Climate Early Teacher training and become Climate Change Ambassadors for their schools!
During the project, we had 5 trainings with school teachers. In the first session, we discussed Climate Change and responsibility followed by a painting activity about appreciating our beautiful earth! The painting activity is part of the toolkit for teachers which has been created as part of this project.
The second session focused on the European Green Deal, what it is, and the changes that need to happen for it to really have any effect. If the European Green Deal does not include a complete system change of the way we do things and move to an economy not based on continuous production we will not see any real change. We also spoke about the need to end fossil fuels and how the gas industry is trying to fool us into thinking that gas can be ‘green.’ We also had an activity where we role played TV programes about climate change disasters.
In the third session we discussed the influence of consumerism on climate change. We talked about how much stuff we really need, and how to buy less, questioning the myth of continuous growth that our economy relies on. Besides discussion, we painted banners for the upcoming National Protest #Xebbajtuna.
Our final session focused on water. We spoke about the local water context, water scarcity, and the water footprint as Malta faces significant water-related challenges. For example, Malta has a high population density and limited freshwater sources. The country relies heavily on rainfall which is relatively low and underground aquifers for its water supply. We then discussed the Mediterranean sea and the implications of climate change. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increased frequency of droughts can further exacerbate water scarcity. Climate change impacts may also affect the quality and availability of groundwater sources.
We must also add that the project doesn’t end here! We will continue working together with the teachers in the school visits. Throughout the school visits, we will be guiding them in implementing activities from the Climate Early Toolkit. The Climate Early Toolkit is composed of 25 cross-curricular activities for primary-aged children on the topics of Weather vs Climate, Energy, Atmosphere, Plants and Animals and Water, from a climate change perspective.
About the project
The CLIMATE EARLY project, is a small scale project that aims to merge the varying expertise of the consortium to advance knowledge on the environment among primary educators and students, raise awareness on issues that impact the environment upon which we all depend, as well as deliver actions to improve and sustain it.
The project objectives are to enhance the quality of early education teaching in deprived areas in environmentally conscientious ways and in the context of sustainable development. Considering there is a need to provide information and experiential experiences to children on important environmental issues, the project is being proposed at the right time, inspiring educators and students to become responsibly equipped for a better tomorrow, with greater environmental awareness.
