Description
In Croatia there are about 500.000 pupils – future citizens and decision makers, who are not receiving proper education about climate change issues, even though they will be strongly impacted by climate change and will be obliged to adapt. The proper education in this area would enable today’s students not only to be decision makers in the future but also to become responsible citizens of tomorrow, to understand the world that surrounds them and to be active and involved citizens, engaged in their communities. It is necessary to provide them with education that introduces them to causes and dangers of climate change, mitigation possibilities, adaptation options and clearly demonstrates the importance of critical thinking.
Schools are not tackling this issue because the teachers are not receiving previous training and are unprepared to lecture and teach on this topic, funding they receive is insufficient and curriculum is not being updated. Climate related topics should be tackled in a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral manner – an approach currently underutilized in Croatian schools. Attempts to modernize the school curriculum and to introduce intra-course approach have been present for several years however no major steps have been made.
We are looking for a novel approach to educate pupils about climate issues, a solution that preferably includes building critical thinking, empowerment and practical-oriented education, a model that includes a financial self-sustainable mechanism (either a proven one or in the initial stage) preferably not dependent on external grants.