As the protection of our planet will constitute a serious challenge for many years to come, it is important to sensitize all citizens on climate change topics and provide them with an opportunity to reflect on their own personal contribution. However, we cannot expect people from disadvantaged backgrounds to seek, take part in and even understand climate-related issues on their own. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid exclusion by spreading awareness and providing tailored environmental education to people, who are less likely to obtain such knowledge due to their socio-economic situation.
Climate Box is based on the assumption that socio-economically disadvantaged groups and low-educated adults are less likely to a) obtain tailored information about climate issues and b) actively seek information about climate-related topics, as they are facing challenges related to their socio-economic status and may not perceive climate issues as their priority.
The aim of Climate Box is to create a toolbox containing 60+ ready-to-use micro learning units, which adult educators can easily integrate into their courses to increase climate awareness and motivate participants to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The project creates outputs tailored to specific needs of the disadvantaged with a particular focus on easy-tounderstand information applicable to everyday life, such as energy and food consumption, water usage, waste reduction, clothing and mobility choices.
The main target groups of this project are a) trainers and adult educators, who will be the direct users of the developed educational materials and b) socio-economically disadvantaged groups of people, who will be the main beneficiaries of the project’s outputs. Particular attention is given to the unemployed, those with low education levels and those with a migration background.
A total of four intellectual outputs will be produced: a report on climate education for disadvantaged adults (IO1), Climate Box training materials (IO2), Open Badge for climate education via a learning app (IO3), Guidance publication for adult educators (IO4). All intellectual outputs are designed with a vision of sustainable use way beyond the project’s lifetime.
The main impact of Climate Box lays in the strengthening of climate awareness among disadvantage groups of people, who are otherwise unlikely to obtain such information on their own. Through simple, entertaining and easy-to-understand learning materials, disadvantaged groups will be able to integrate basic climate-friendly behaviour into their everyday life and thus positively contribute to the environment. By introducing innovative learning tools and methods, the project will also strengthen professional competences of adult educators and significantly increase their social and communication skills.
Check out the Climate Box website here.
The Climate Box project will be implemented by 6 partners from Germany (BUPNET), Belgium (Out of the Box International), Spain (Caminos), Bulgaria (Catro), Austria (Die Berater) and Italy (CESIE).
The project is co-financed by the Erasmus+ KA2 Programme of the European Commission.