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The Cool It! Climate Leadership Training program develops and empowers young sustainability champions in schools in British Columbia.
BCSEA has been delivering environmental education in British Columbia for over a decade. We work with students, their teachers, and their families; empowering them to learn more about climate change and explore new actions they can take at school, home and in their local communities.
Since 2007, BCSEA has delivered over 3,000 climate and environment education workshops in BC, working with over 70,000 students and their families, and encouraging actions that have avoided an estimated 15,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions.
Elementary program (grades 4-7)
Our elementary program works with grade 4-7 students and consists of an interactive, hour-long workshop and a four-week, take-home climate challenge.
One of our experienced Environmental Educators joins each class to facilitate a 60-minute workshop (delivered virtually via video conferencing technology or in-person). The workshop is fun, informative and interactive. It covers the basic science of climate change, its key causes, impacts and solutions that exist. It also covers actions students can take at home in their communities to lessen their own carbon emissions and inspire others to do the same.
Our four-week, take-home climate challenge consists of 25 unique climate and environmental actions that encourage students to work with their families to reduce their carbon footprint at home while learning more about climate change and current local and provincial responses. Top students in each class will receive prizes for their efforts. We also provide lots of supporting materials, tools and information for every action in our challenge allowing it to be completed individually, with support from other family-members, or in collaboration with the whole class.
High school program (grades 8-12, all disciplines)
Our high school program works with grade 8-12 students of all disciples and consists of a series of interactive, hour-long workshops and a four-week, online climate challenge using our web platform: climatecool.org
Over a 4-6 week time period, classes undertake two ~60-minute workshop modules (delivered virtually via video conferencing technology or in-person). The workshops cover the science of climate change as well as covering more advanced topics such as climate justice, supply chains and systems-analysis.
Module One focuses on the future impacts of the climate crisis in British Columbia; and local government, Indigenous and student responses.
Module Two focuses on the systemic life cycles of our consumption and production and the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in these systems. We also explore how to make informed choices that lessen the impact on the climate, as well as how we might engage and participate in our local communities to spread the impact.
Our online, four-week climate challenge encourages students to learn about actions that can be taken at home to reduce their carbon impact. It also encourages the investigation and research of collective mitigation and adaptation strategies at local, provincial and national levels.
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What are teachers saying about the Cool It! program?
“My students really enjoyed this challenge and I heard only positive comments from parents. I have participated in the program many times in the past and it is always a highlight of the year. A very worthwhile program.”
“Great program and [our environmental educator] Kelly is so resourceful and a delight to work with.”
“Great program! My students loved it.”
“I found this to be a very well organized and supported unit. I would love to participate with my grade 6’s next year!”
“Manon was a wonderful host as she also speaks French and I have a French Immersion class so she made sure she incorporated some French in her presentation. There wasn’t a question she wasn’t able to answer and she gave my students lots of new information in the subject area. I would love to participate again!”
“My students really enjoyed participating in the challenge and learning a lot through the process.”
Join in this year!
Interested in booking a workshop for your class or learning more about the program? Contact us at cool-it@bcsea.org or fill out the booking form below.