Climate-Makers! We Are the Future
Climate change has now become one of the central spheres of social activity, and thus also a central aspect of education. So far, environmental education, especially on the subject of climate change, has been mainly directed towards academically-oriented groups. The aim of the Climate-Makers! project is to give in particular those young people who would otherwise not be confronted by the issue an introduction to the problems of climate change and to empower them to get involved in social processes and take responsibility for their actions.
Structure and organization
From the autumn of 2009, teams of pupils, teachers and non-school partners in the Ruhr region were invited to submit project ideas related to the topic of climate change. An expert jury then selected 16 school projects to receive grants from the foundation. Besides providing financial resources for the project work, the support includes extensive training on the subject of climate change, the chance to exchange ideas and opinions with experts and the other project teams, and intensive supervision during the implementation phase.
Objectives
Stiftung Mercator is promoting this project in order to make the subject of climate change a permanent fixture on the school timetable and to introduce young people to climate change issues. The objective is to give everyone involved in the project the chance to acquire skills which will allow them to act and shape the future, and to create network structures related to climate change. Socially disadvantaged adolescents and young people of migrant background in particular are to be empowered in their school and personal lives through youth participation and youth leadership.