"Climate Action" Virtual Youth Forum for National gr 5-8
Welcome “Climate Action” Youth Forum participants! This page is your home base for all the events, materials & links that are part of this Forum.
Please reach out to samantha@LSF-LST.ca if you have any questions or feedback!
Before You Begin:
We need your help! Before you start the Youth Forum with your class, please have each student fill out our short survey. We need this information for our funders. We can’t continue the Youth Forums without it!
Please forward this link to your students and ask them each to complete it ASAP: www.LSF-LST.ca/forms/cc-student-survey
Get Started!
- Kickoff Event: Learn more about the Youth Forum and hear from our inspirational keynote speakers The Monkey Rebel Club – 2nd place winners of LSF’s 2023 Empowering Youth for Climate Action Awards!
> Watch live on Tue, Oct 17 @ 1pm EDT (10am PDT/2pm ADT) – link coming soon - Climate Change 101: This course designed by our partners at Let’s Talk Science will bring your students up to speed on climate change knowledge before starting the Forum workshops!
> Access the course
The kickoff and climate change 101 course are optional, but recommended!
Student Workshops
Complete any 4 (or more!) of the following workshops with your students to receive your $500 Action Project grant!
Live Workshops:
All times in Eastern Time.
Remember, all live workshops are recorded so you can catch up if you miss one!
Workshop Description: In this session, we will explore the role that policy plays in climate action and how misinformation can impact our perspectives on policy. Participants will be challenged to think critically about how policies may have unintended consequences. We will then explore ways for students to take action and ‘raise their voices’ by incorporating creative expression into contacting local decision makers.
Materials/Prep:
- Coming soon
> Join live (link coming soon)
Learn more about GreenLearning
Workshop Description: Unwrap links between plastics, climate change, and water while we explore solutions, tools and actions we can all take to create a brighter future! How are we connected to these challenges and how can we help? Is plastic good or bad? What is a microplastic? Let’s discuss and share ideas for getting engaged in solutions!
Materials/Prep:
- Students should have paper and writing utensils ready for their brainstorming.
> Join live on Nov 1 @ 1pm EDT (link coming soon)
Learn more about Ocean Wise
Workshop Description: Across the country, we are facing increasingly frequent and increasingly severe weather events brought on by climate change. How do we adapt? What can we do to make our houses, our schools and our communities more resilient? All of us have a role to play before, during and after an extreme weather event to reduce their impact and to rebuild better.
Materials/Prep:
- Students can watch this video before or after the presentation. It gives more examples of the topic covered in the workshop.
> Join live on Nov 8 @ 1pm EDT (link coming soon)
Learn more about Parks Canada
Workshop Description: So you’ve participated in the workshops and learned about all kinds of climate issues… Now what? Our Action Project Planning workshop will show you what an Action Project looks like and help you consider your interests and skills, your sphere of influence, and the root causes of the issue so you can take on the best Action Project ever!
Materials/Prep:
- Please print this worksheet (double-sided) – 1 copy per student
- Internet-enabled devices for Kahoot
> Join live on Thu, Dec 7 @ 1pm EDT
Next Steps:
Pre-Recorded Workshops:
Available anytime!
Workshop Description: In this session students will explore how we capture and use the wind to generate electrical energy, how wind energy is being used across the country, and how students can support the transition to renewable energies.
Materials/Prep:
- Educator Guide
- Handout (use fillable PDF or print)
- Exit Ticket (use fillable PDF or print)
Learn more about GreenLearning
Workshop Description: In this session, students will explore a circular economic model in relation to the problem of plastic waste in the environment. Through examination of the Plastic Problem and technological solutions to plastic waste, students will feel empowered to address this complex issue and close the loop on plastic.
Materials/Prep:
- Educator Guide
- Handout (use fillable PDF or print)
Learn more about GreenLearning
Workshop Description:
This interactive workshop will explore climate change impacts and solutions through the Climate Atlas of Canada, an engaging online tool for students, researchers, decision-makers, and communities. As an example, we will look at the health impacts of climate change and students will have the opportunity to participate in a “treasure hunt” to find the answers on the site themselves.
Materials/Prep:
- Writing utensil & paper
- Internet-enabled device – 1 per student or shared
Learn more about the Prairie Climate Centre and the Climate Atlas of Canada
Workshop Description:
Materials/Prep:
Learn more about Brilliant Labs
Students will learn to code a short program in Scratch that will allow them to create a “Choose your own climate adventure” game. They will code questions and answers, animate, and interactions with the program that will help them better understand how the littlest changes in their actions can have an impact. The learning is accessible to all ages and skill levels. This workshop is broken down into two 30-minute recordings.
- Computer/Tablet
- Create a free Scratch account at scratch.mit.edu/join
Learn more about Brilliant Labs
Workshop Description:
Access this workshop
Learn more about Let’s Talk Science
This workshop explores food through the lens of technologies used across agriculture, harvest, transportation, access points (ex. grocery stores), and finally to your plate. This workshop also shares information about [1] spotting local produce in grocery stores and other commercial spaces; [2] natural fertilizers through compost, and mulches and their use in community gardens; and [3] hydroponics and how we can use this technology to grow foods without soil, when outdoor garden space is unavailable, and across seasons.
Learn more about Let’s Talk Science
Workshop Description:
We’ll use CoSpaces to build our own 3D creations, animate them with code, and explore them in Virtual or Augmented Reality. Learners will practice testing and debugging, and create a virtual space that they can share with family and friends! Projects will also be learner-driven, giving learners the space to leverage VR as a tool for positive change, to tackle an issue that is important to them.
Learn more about Canada Learning Code
Workshop Description:
This workshop provides an overview of the environmental and economic benefits of switching from a gas car to an electric car, including the trends in Canada and around the world. It also gives ideas for how students can get involved in sustainable transportation initiatives!
Learn more about Plug’n Drive
Description:
Through stories of her experiences in the Western Arctic of Canada, Kathleen Matari explores two important knowledge sets, Indigenous knowledge and Western science knowledge, and how the gap between the two must be bridged in order to take action on climate change.
More workshops coming soon!
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada
Teacher Sessions & Resources
- Meet & Greet/Info Session
More info about how the Youth Forum will work and how we can help! Answers questions like: What does the Youth Forum involve? How do I navigate the Hub? How do I get the $500 grant? and more!
> Join live on Wed, Oct 4 @ 7pm EDT (4pm PDT/8pm ADT)
Action Project Grant
Completed all your workshops? Time to request your $500 Action Project grant!
Action Project Grant
Completed all your workshops? Time to request your $500 Action Project grant!
Feedback Form
We encourage students & teachers to offer feedback on each workshop using our form!
Additional Resources
- Check out our database of over 1,500 curriculum-connected classroom resources on R4R
- Empowering Learners in a Warming World climate change inquiry guide
- Engaging Students in Sustainable Action Projects guide
- Action Project inspiration on Our Canada Project
- Green Jobs: Adapting to our Changing Climate video series
