Virtual Workshop Library for LSF's Youth Forums
Welcome “Climate Action” Youth Forum participants! We hope you are excited to extend the learning from the Forum and engage your whole class or club in our collection of excellent virtual workshops!
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 any Youth Forum activities with your students, 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!
- 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 climate change 101 course is optional, but recommended. It’s a great place to start before digging into the other workshops!
Student Workshops
Explore more climate action topics with your students!
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:
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.
Materials/Prep:
- Computer/Tablet
- Create a free Scratch account at scratch.mit.edu/join
Learn more about Brilliant Labs
Workshop Description:
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: In this sessions, students will explore the role that policy plays in climate action, and how misinformation can impact our perspectives on policy. Students will be challenged to think critically about policy, and consider how policies may have unintended consequences.
Materials/Prep:
- Students should have paper and writing utensils ready for their brainstorming.
This workshop was delivered as part of our 2022 “Climate Action” Youth Forum for Ontario gr 7-12, but is relevant to any location
Extra Resources:
- GreenLearning’s Decoding Carbon: A Climate Policy Quest – take the Decoding Carbon Challenge!
- Skeptical Science site
- GreenLearning’s Climate Policy Worksheet
Learn more about GreenLearning
Workshop Description:
> Access this workshop
Learn more about Plug’n Drive
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!
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.
We strongly recommend our Action Project Planning workshop to help you get started on taking action:
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
Next Steps:
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada
Teacher Resources
Action Project Final Report
Done your Action Project? Tell us about it!
Final Reports are due May 24, 2023 and will ask for:
- copies of receipts for all purchases up to $500
- photos of your students in action!
- description of project activities
- project reach (# of students, teachers, community members reached) and impacts (e.g. # of trees planted, # of kg’s of waste diverted from landfill, area of land planted, etc. etc.)
- your post on www.OurCanadaProject.ca
Feedback Form
We encourage students & teachers to offer feedback on each workshop using our form!
Additional Resources
- Check out our database of over 1,800 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
