As we kick off Scotland’s Climate Week with our own week of online live lessons to inspire and support children, young people and educators across Scotland, our Education and Learning Manager, Andrea Gabriel, reflects on our Climate Action Schools framework, it’s impact and our ambitions for the future.
‘I won’t complaint about the weather as I will never live here…’ was what I thought when I first came to Scotland for a few months as an undergraduate in autumn 1999, as part of an Edinburgh University international conifer conservation project. But without me knowing, Scotland planted a magnet in me that pulled me back and forth a few times after that. It’s been nearly 16 years now since I made it my home - a home that sometimes feels very far and different to my native Chile, but which the ragged landscape and soothing beauty makes me feel just like I used to in my beloved Patagonia.
Growing up saving bees from drowning and creating hotels for baby crickets, it was no surprise that I decided to study Biology. But it was only during university, while becoming involved on social justice projects, that the question ‘how can we reach a point where we value, care for and understand nature and our planet, while also ensuring a good and just quality of life for all of us humans’, appeared on my horizon. And as if by magic, environmental and outdoor education, and the power of the life-changing opportunities they provide, turned up in my life.
Scotland is a beautiful and unique country for many reasons: the warmth and great sense of humour of its people, the ancient geological history tattooed in every landscape, the depth of its heritage. But coming from the path I have walked so far, one of the things that struck me once I settled and became a parent, and which I cherish and appreciate deeply, is the vision and importance that Scotland has for Learning for Sustainability – it is seen as a need and a right for all children, young people and adults. For many countries, mine included, environmental and sustainable education are a privilege that only some will be able access.
Despite the fact that there is still some way to go to make all our educators feel confident and comfortable delivering Learning for Sustainability, and to ensure all our children and young people can access it, knowing that there is a vision and willingness from the top to support future generations so that they will have greater awareness and sense of stewardship for our planet, and a stronger sense of care and empathy for all people, feels very special.
Back in Chile, where I grew up, I used to work in the outdoor and environmental education sector. Before I left, I was coordinating the in-country schools programme for the British charity Raleigh International and directing an environmental and outdoor education non-for-profit organisation. So, it is no surprise that I was drawn to Keep Scotland Beautiful and its charitable objectives.
I was extremely lucky to join #TeamKSB in 2019, and to experience first-hand the vison and passion that those who work for the charity have. Much of our education work is funded by the Scottish Government, which allows us to be a source of support to all educators, pupils and their schools and education centres. This big and complex task - educating for a sustainable future - can come with challenges and sometimes feel overwhelming, but the team embraces and loves it. Not only because we deeply believe in it and in the possibility of a brighter future for planet and people, but because we see on a daily base the amazing work that so many of our educators, children and young people are doing and we thrive on their infectious passion for the environment and their communities.
We are often associated with the international Eco-Schools programme, which we have been running in Scotland for 30 years, along side the Young Reporters for the Environment programme. But, over recent years we have expanded our support in many ways including piloting, then rolling out our successful Climate Ready Classrooms programme in secondary and then primary schools – creating carbon literate learners and educators who are better informed to take action and progress climate change education.
We are currently embedding our Climate Action Schools framework which we launched in 2022 – to further support Scotland’s ambition to be a Net Zero Nation by 2045, the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan Target 2030, the Biodiversity Strategy to 2045, and UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership which Scotland as a nation has signed to.
We have built on our existing activities and increased the opportunity for learning across five core components: learning for sustainability; climate emergency; biodiversity; litter and pollution; and amplifying pupil voices.
As we start our week of live online lessons to complement and support Scotland’s Climate Week we will be welcoming speakers from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the Scottish Book Trust, Jacobs and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. All of which will focus on how our homes and gardens could look in a climate ready future.
But, we will also be working behind the scenes to identify opportunities to further develop our support and collaboration with the Scottish Government, and other key stakeholders and funders, to deliver climate education in line with Learning for Sustainability).
My call to you now is to pledge to get involved with Climate Action Schools activities and programmes, through your existing work with us, or in a new way. Encourage your children's or grandchildren's schools to register for, or watch again, the live lessons from this week and prepare to be inspired and have conversations that stimulate actions, however small.
Consider collaborating with us to make sure our children and young people feel supported to understand the climate emergency and nature crisis and the actions they can take. And do reach out and get in touch if you can support our work financially. After all, none of this can happen without the generous funding we receive.
Check out some of the highlights from our past six months in our Climate Action Schools Impact Report.
