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-to-understand 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 five intellectual outputs will be produced: a report on climate education for disadvantaged adults (IO1), Climate Box training materials (IO2), Online resource base for climate education (IO3), Open Badge for climate education via a learning app (IO4), Guidance publication for adult educators (IO5). 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.
Climate Box aims to fill the existing gap by focusing exclusively on the target group of disadvantaged adults in order to increase their awareness, knowledge and skills as regards the climate crisis and to motivate them to adopt climate-friendly behaviour. The project aims to reach out to vulnerable target groups, especially adults from disadvantaged backgrounds and with lower levels of education, to engage them in tailored climate change training opportunities and sensitise them to the fact that they can make a difference and that the issue is not beyond their reach. The assumption is that the target groups may not see climate issues as a priority due to their socio-economic status and the challenges they face. Climate Box's aim is to empower disadvantaged groups through simple, fun and easy-to-understand learning. To this end, Climate Box produced learning materials tailored to the specific needs of disadvantaged people, focusing on easy-to-understand information relevant to everyday life. At the same time, the project aims to strengthen the professional competences of adult educators and significantly improve their social and communication skills by introducing innovative learning tools and methods.
Protecting our planet will be a major challenge in the coming years. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to raise awareness of climate change among all citizens to give them the opportunity to reflect on their personal contribution. Currently, the majority of environmental education projects and initiatives are targeted at young people and in particular school students, while the number of projects targeting socio-economically disadvantaged groups is alarmingly low. While promoting climate action among young people is crucial, especially with regard to future climate issues, other social groups must not be neglected. It is crucial to avoid exclusion by spreading awareness and providing tailor-made environmental education to people who have fewer opportunities to acquire such knowledge due to their socio-economic situation. The Climate Box is based on the assumption that disadvantaged adults are less likely to receive tailored information and actively seek information on climate-related issues because they face challenges related to their socio-economic status and may not see climate issues as their priority. This lack of information tailored to their needs can lead to environmentally irresponsible behaviour.