In Spring 2023, I had the privilege of being accepted as a 2023 NAAEE CEE Change Fellow. The CEE Change Fellowship supports and connects educators working at the intersection of environmental and civic engagement education. The 2023 program focused on climate change and education.
Through this fellowship and a partnership with Compass Education, I received support and $2000 of funding to design and run a free three-part virtual training called “Introduction to the Compass Tools: Systems Thinking for Climate Education and Civic Action” for educators from around North America. This training introduced participants to the fundamentals of sustainability and systems thinking tools they could use to educate and act on sustainability.
The first two sessions introduced versatile systems thinking tools: The Sustainability Compass and Systems Iceberg. The final session supported participants in developing a learning or action plan to engage their students with sustainability in the classroom or through community action using said tools. We framed climate education through the UNFCC ACE framework and the United Nations Global Goals. We considered methods for civic engagement outlined by the Center for Civic Engagement at Illinois State. Every participant planned post-workshop action steps to engage their students with climate education and civic action before the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Since our training, the participating educators have submitted blogs, vlogs, lesson plans, and examples of how they have used systems thinking to engage their students in climate education and civic action. I have been thrilled and awed by their willingness to ‘not stress the mess’ and try out new systems thinking tools and ways of thinking with their students. This report features some of their reflections and work in their communities thus far. As you review their stores, click on the embedded links to read more about their stories and experiences in their own voices.
One of my underlying goals for this project was to build a more robust North American community of educators using systems thinking tools to engage students and schools in sustainability education for systems change. In September 2024, we hosted a virtual educator meet-up for educators from around North America, and 12 teachers from around North America, many of whom were part of this program or connected to this program, participated. I look forward to seeing how this community of practice will continue to evolve.
Author
Gitanjali Paul
Since joining Compass Education in 2014, Gitanjali has worked with the Youth and Learning Empowerment Groups to design and facilitate educational workshops, camps, and courses. As Education Program Manager, Gitanjali coordinates learning experiences, oversees new product development, and supports CE’s stellar network of educator volunteers in fulfilling organizational goals and mission. Gitanjali's experiences as a student and teacher in international schools have fortified her motivation to equip individuals with knowledge and skills to thrive in and create a more sustainable world. In addition to her work with Compass Education, Gitanjali freelances as a learning designer and facilitator for other organizations in whose work she believes. She is an avid lover of nature, cooking experiments, adventures with family, and spending time with her Filipina rescue cat, Mahatma Charlie.
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