Experiential learning on Climate Literacy and Awareness in early education schools of deprived communities - CLIMATE EARLY

<< Background >>The Mediterranean region is identified as a climate change hotspot and, therefore, both Cyprus and Malta are expected to experience the effects of climate change sooner and more adversely than other parts of Europe. This is alarming, but in Cypriot and Maltese society climate change is not perceived as areal and serious crisis.Consequently, actions towards fighting it are still disproportionate with the magnitude of the problem. CLIMATE EARLY addressed these needs that are necessary to act in delivering environmental education and climate awareness within the Cypriot and Maltese societies, and especially among schools in deprived areas. CLIMATE EARLY addressed the needs and goals of the participating organisations by (1) providing experiential learning on climate-specific topics which is currently absent in primary schools within deprived areas of Cyprus and Malta, (2) enhancing environmental literacy and awareness among early educators and students who are currently underequipped to face the increasing challenges of climate change in their countries, (3) fostering the developmentof a currently absent digital platform related to early education on environment.<< Objectives >>The project objectives were to enhance the quality of early education teaching in deprived areas in environmentally conscientious ways and in the context of sustainable development.The objectives of project were to (1) advance early childhood environmental education by increasing the capacities of both educators and children, (2) ensure inclusion by involving primary schools in deprived areas, (3) increase the quality of early education using experiential learning to develop climate literacy and awareness, (4) enable transnational and cross sectoral collaborations for advancing experiential learning on environment in early education. << Implementation >>The activities of the project included the following: (1) Development of training materials and open resources regarding climate literacy and awareness for early education (2) Training of primary educators using experiential learning (3) Implementation of Classroom and Field Labs with 397 primary students in Malta and Cyprus(4) Creation of an online platform that host virtual dialogue roundtables for cross-border networking and best practice exchange between primary educators and environmentalists (5) Dissemination of the project via local events, social media campaigns, and video stories. << Results >>(1) a Training package focused on climate literacy and awareness, including domain-specific content and eco-friendly activities that educators used with their students; (2) training workshops (1 in each country) to 59 Primary educators (from both countries) who enhanced their own climate literacy through experiential learning and become the CLIMATE EARLY Ambassadors equipped to transfer this pedagogical approach to their students; (3) implementation of Classroom and Field Labs enabling CLIMATE EARLY Ambassadors to apply their learning using in-class experiments and outdoor demonstrations with 397 students, all carried out using environmentally friendly approaches (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Responsible Disposal) (4)virtual knowledge sharing roundtables that allowed for cross-border networking and exchange of best practices between primary educators and environmentalists in Cyprus and Malta; (5) dissemination of the project utilising digital tools, audio-visual materials, and communication networks reaching 365,231 school educators, environmental organizations, policy makers, youth, public services, target groups associations, civil society and EU citizens.