Teach the Future is a joint campaign run by UKSCN and SOS-UK students to repurpose the education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. Are you interested in joining the project team as a volunteer? There are currently about 50 students involved, aged 13-25, and the group is run via Slack technology.
They are running 3 Zoom on onboarding calls over the next few weeks, you’re welcome to join any of them:
– Monday 16th 8-9pm
– Saturday 21st 6-7pm
– Thursday 26th 8-9pm
The invite link is: zoom.us/j/6895835131 or call in: [0]2030512874. ∫∫∫
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The mental health and environment teacher training event with experts Caroline Hickman, Clover Hogan and Elly Hanson will take place on Mon 27th April 1630 to 1800 as an online conference. Places are limited and tickets are available here. Any tickets already booked remain valid. Details will be provided to all participants beforehand on how the virtual event will work but will probably be via Zoom. Questions will be collated in advance. ∫∫∫
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The OVO Foundation has three key focus areas: youth poverty; educational inequality; and energy access. Its youth poverty and education work are based in the UK, with energy access work being in East Africa. The latest news from its projects can be found here.
It has a new £1m fund to support its vision of ensuring all children and young people have equitable access to a sustainable future. It is looking to invest in projects and partners that develop children and young people’s knowledge of sustainability issues, whilst also giving them the chance to contribute to sustainable communities. If you click here, you’ll find details, with project criteria set out on pages 8 and 9. ∫∫∫
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NAAEE has announced its first cohort of EE 30 Under 30 changemaker grant winners who will receive small grants and technical and professional development support over the coming year to implement environmental education projects that work to build low-carbon economies, create resilient communities, and protect and restore ecosystems.
Grant holders will work on a diversity of sustainability issues — from creating food forests in New Zealand to building a global movement for circular cities. They will have the opportunity to present about their work at NAAEE’s 49th international conference in Tucson, AZ, in October 2020. ∫∫∫
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TheTeach the Future website has a range of blogs. These include comments from students themselves as well as from supporters. There’s one from an NEU member. This starts:
Teachers for climate crisis education reform
“I have been frustrated by the lack of urgency in the education system. The climate crisis has made it evident that the role of education has never been more important. Young people are deeply concerned about the climate crisis and the impact to their futures. Yet what is an age-appropriate way for teachers to engage with the climate crisis? How can we give pupils an education fit for the future? …” ∫∫∫
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Climate Ed provides climate change education to children in schools in Greater London. It offers presentations and workshops, ranging from lectures to fully-structured schemes of work on topics such as introductory climate science, carbon reduction, carbon footprints and the psychology of climate change. It says it is “driven by a belief in the importance of taking action on this urgent issue, and by the recognition that children who take social action in their early years will be more engaged in social activism later in life.” ∫∫∫
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The Ecologist reports that Covid-19 has pushed China to issue a temporary, comprehensive ban on wildlife trade and consumption. As a result, the international black market that profits by up to $23 billion annually from animal trafficking is now being scrutinised on a global scale. The magazine says that “the spread of zoonotic diseases is forcing us to pay attention to the animal resources we utilise for food consumption, health remedies, fashion and beauty products [and that our] consumer behavior is not only putting our species at risk but thousands of others worldwide.”. ∫∫∫
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The CPRE [ the Campaign to Protect Rural England (formerly the Council for the Protection of Rural England) ] campaigns to improve access to the countryside. It is planning a campaign to ensure every child has a night under the stars in a National Park or an AONB before they’re 11. This is already a formal recommendation to government in the Glover Review on Landscapes that was published last autumn, and CPRE wants to build a broad case for support that can’t be ignored. ∫∫∫
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World Oceans Day this year is June 8th. Click here for a range of resources. ∫∫∫
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Confirmation that the NAEE AGM this year is on Saturday November 7th at Martineau Gardens, Birmingham: 1345 to 1430. ∫∫∫