PRESS RELEASE
Teachers called on to be the first to trial the UK CC:Learn Climate Change Teacher Training Academy
Teachers are being offered the chance to take part in a climate change education programme created by Harwood Education, with The One United Nations Climate Change Learning Partnership (UNITAR/UN CC:Learn) and sponsored by YPO. The online training for teachers in primary and secondary schools has been designed to equip educators with the knowledge and confidence to deliver lessons on the topic of climate change to their class.
A target of 80 schools are being urged to sign up to take part in an initial trial of the course, lasting around two months, which covers topics including climate change science, gender and environment, children and climate change, cities and climate change, and human health. The programme will then be made available to all schools across the UK with first lessons expected to be delivered in the classroom from June.
YPO, which specialises in providing products and services to help run schools, including training for teachers, is the sponsor of the initial course trials and the official education resource provider for the UN Climate Change: Learn education programme. Delivered by Harwood Education, this ambitious project will seek to develop a comprehensive package of interactive classroom materials on climate change for school teachers and children.
YPO’s managing director Simon Hill commented, “Education is an essential element of the global response to climate change, helping young people understand the impact of global warming and how they can play a part in future trends. Recent strikes by schoolchildren as part of a growing global campaign for action on climate change makes the programme even more relevant to educators. As a sponsor of the programme, YPO will help support delivery of climate change lessons in the classroom, and the need to better train teachers to improve the climate change curriculum and provide quality resources.”
Education specialist Melanie Harwood, whose company Harwood Education will deliver the training explains the context of the project further: “Young children are far more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and associated health risks than any other social group. We need to give them the tools to understand the effects of a changing climate so that they can take well informed and effective action in the future.”
Director at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Angus Mackay said: “We’re delighted to be able to support this important educational initiative in the United Kingdom. Anyone below the age of 20 is part of the ‘climate generation’ living all or most of their lives having to deal with climate change. The Climate Change Teacher Training Academy is an excellent idea because it will give children an intuitive understanding of the issues and it is solutions based.”
Registration for the course trials follows Earth Day www.earthday.org (April 22nd), to underpin YPO’s efforts to align with the UN’s sustainability goals including climate action.