UEA hosts education conference as part of national climate scheme turning ambition into action
By: Communications
Education leaders head to UEA to explore ‘Climate and Nature Action in Education’ as part of the national Climate Ambassador Scheme
The Climate Ambassador scheme launched nationally across the UK in May, with the East Anglia hub led by a team at the University of East Anglia.
The day-long conference was held to introduce local educational institutions to their regional climate ambassadors, offering a space where climate action plans could be discussed, what we can add to our own knowledge, and the drive for schools to educate about how to tackle climate change locally.
The day started with an introduction to the scheme, highlighting the idea of climate action plans and how to reduce the impact of climate change, both regionally and worldwide, ending with a discussion on how best to tackle these problems as a group.
Kit Marie Rackley, UEA Tyndall Centre’s Schools Climate Hub Coordinator and Climate Ambassadors East of England Regional Hub Manager, said, “At the event we discussed what we can offer schools for climate action education. We had all sorts of institutions present, nurseries, primaries, secondaries, multi academy trusts. The main thing was I didn’t want anyone leaving not knowing what to do, or thinking they were on their own, I wanted them leaving thinking they are part of a team who are making a better future for young people.”
80 people were in attendance from different institutions, with a further 20 joining the conversation online, with the opportunity to meet and understand the role of their climate ambassadors.
Chris Page, ITV Weather Presenter, Meteorologist, and one of the Climate Ambassadors, said, “It was a fantastic day meeting with like-minded people all with a passion to protect the place we all call home. We have taken on a huge mission, but I do believe educating the younger generation about how to tackle climate change is the best place to start. We are the solution to the problem. We can't all do everything, but we can all do something to make a difference. The day was brilliantly organised, sparking great conversations to get the ball rolling to increase climate change education in nurseries, schools, and colleges.”
The scheme has 70 ambassadors in the East, such as Chris Page, and his fellow ITV colleague Aisling Creevey, Martin Knapp Director of Clean Green Innovative Ltd., and Rachel Newell, the Social Sustainability Manager at Kier Construction.
The day highlighted the role some of them could play in schools and in creating Climate Action plans, discussing ideas in groups, which included the MP of Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay.
Faye Herron, Head of School at Lionwood Junior School in Norwich, said:
“Creating a Climate Action Plan is a priority for our school next year, and will, I believe, prove to be a vital blueprint for positive change. However, to be effective you need to build it up over time, working to raise awareness in the school and ensuring there is buy-in across the board. Being able to tap into existing resources, knowledge, and support from people like Kit and the Climate Ambassadors is going to be extremely helpful.
“Having studied at UEA, it was nice to see my old university taking the lead in East Anglia to endorse climate action, particularly in education. I think our pupils will relish the chance to engage with the subject and, through school visits, hear from those who are working hard to ensure climate literacy is installed across all age-groups.”
Image: Asher Minns (right) in conversation with other attendees, including MP of Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay (left).
Asher Minns, Executive Director at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, said, “It's interesting to see how teachers are engaging with the climate change topic and clearly, from what they are saying, their children want to know about it as well.
There is lots of demand, there are 80 teachers here that are representing a hundred or more schools. What I've got out of it is at the moment is really the groundswell and the interest there is, and that's important to me personally because I've been working in climate change with the Tyndall Centre for such a long time, when it was a nerdy math atmospheric thing here at UEA.”
Lisa Beamish, Parent Governor at Roydon Primary School in Diss, said “I came to hopefully be able to help push the new curriculums into schools and saving resources. I want to make it known to the teachers at the school that there are these resources available, this type of education.”
Aisling Creevey, Climate Ambassador, ITV Weather Presenter, and Meteorologist said, 'It felt like a poignant moment where we were all moving forward together with a conversation about climate that is so important but so personal to us all. It's incredible to realise how far we have come as the launch of the Climate Ambassador scheme is now underway and we have a point holding us all together. I felt proud to be a part of it all and to be given an opportunity to speak and share what ITV are already championing in schools and in our day-to-day work lives and now as the first wave of climate ambassadors come through.”
Visit https://t.ly/CliAmbEast to find out more about volunteering to become a Climate Ambassador – including dates for free online drop-in info sessions.
If you work or have connections with an education setting in the East of England request a Climate Ambassador via https://www.stem.org.uk/climate-ambassadors/teachers-and-schools.
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