Sustainable Ecosystem for Climate Education

The Polish education system has not sufficiently addressed climate change education in its core curriculum so far. Despite according requests from academia and civil society, systemic change is happening only slowly. Quality climate change education is indispensable, however, to ensure that youths are aware of their options to fight climate change.

Climate Education Lessons; Photo: © Grzegorz Jóźwiak, Forum for Civic Initiatives Foundation

As the core curriculum was unlikely to change easily, the project team focused on local authorities instead and motivated schools to incorporate climate change into their teaching and provided respective training to teachers. The project created a model of extracurricular climate education that was tested in eight schools across Lower Silesia. The model involved teachers, principals, municipalities, businesses, and NGOs from Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Importantly, including them into the extracurricular activities fostered their overall commitment to the topic: together, they constituted an ecosystem of support that encouraged and institutionalised climate change education at schools. Additionally, the project team developed a digital platform that allowed the sharing of experience, knowledge, and training and education material. Once proven successful, the project team prepared the model as a ready-to-use solution for schools in other Polish regions, enabling the generation to come to take the bold climate action needed.

• Climate-competent teachers strengthen teaching practice: 100 teachers from primary and secondary schools were trained using comprehensive guidelines and are now able to convey complex climate issues in a clear and interactive manner. This has significantly enhanced the teaching skills required to deliver high-quality climate education. 
• Impact on education policy up to ministerial level: The project received broad support from key education institutions in Poland, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Polish Teachers' Union. Representatives of the Ministry of Education expressly advocated for broader implementation of the model, paving the way for the institutional embedding of modern climate education. 
• CEOP connects education providers and ensures long-term knowledge transfer: The Climate Expert Online Platform (CEOP) developed as part of the project enhances digital cooperation in the field of climate education throughout Poland. More than 430 participants from schools, preschools, universities, local authorities, foundations and companies are networked on the platform and use it for regular dialogue on climate education approaches. CEOP also provides learning and information materials on an ongoing basis, which are designed specifically for digital users. The platform thus offers sustainable access to knowledge, supports the further training of teachers and enables the continuous development of modern climate education – long after the project has ended.
• Video: Workshop for teachers. New model of climate education Szczawno-Zdrój November 2022