ACDC - Inclusive climate change education with and through art & design

<< Background >>ACDC is a small-scale Erasmus+ project in school education aimed at co-creating and validating learning and teaching material for inclusive climate change education. It’s about how to use art and design to create awareness about climate change, stimulate young people’s imagination and make them actors of change.The ACDC project addressed the following needs: - the need for an integrative and cross-curricular approach in climate change education (not only in science class but through STEAM); arts and design can play an important role in engaging people and providing new perspectives on climate change- the need for a positive and constructive approach (trying to avoid apathy or anxiety); students need to feel motivated and part of the solution, become actors of change.- the need for an inclusive approach: people from more modest social/economic backgrounds have more obstacles to deal with when taking action to fight climate change; they have fewer means to choose alternative transport, work as volunteers, isolate their houses, and buy vegan food or sustainable clothes.<< Objectives >>- Increase awareness about climate change and sustainability.- Stimulate young people’s imagination and empower them to co-create new scenarios for behavioural change.- Actively involve students from rural areas and diverse backgrounds in an international and interdisciplinary collaboration.- Create cross-curricular learning resources with an eco-social future-oriented perspective.- Create awareness about the power of design to generate sustainable and inclusive solutions for individuals and communities.<< Implementation >>- 2 eco-creative labs, in Porto and Valencia - teacher trainings with 25 teachers- 4 creative workshop proposals in 3 languages- workshops with more than 300 students and other young people, and 40 teachers/educators in 2 countries- open-access multimedia learning and teaching resources for secondary-school students, teachers, and other educators- an educator guide in 3 languages- 4 newsletters- a project website- 2 multiplier events with more than 100 attendees- a YouTube channel with students' work<< Results >>The project produced and validated learning and teaching material for cross-curricular, inclusive climate change education: creative workshops about climate change and an educator’s guide in three EU languages. More than 300 students participated in an international experience and increased their awareness about the effect of climate change; teachers increased their knowledge about the potential of arts and digital tools in climate change education.What was different about ACDC?- It’s a free course created by artists, designers, teachers and students.- It’s easily accessible and adaptable for different levels of students.- It combines climate change, the power of art and design as a communication tool, and the use of new technologies.- It is a constructive approach to climate change education, stimulating young people’s imagination and empower them to create art and raise awareness.- Everybody really liked it!