Post contributed by Alienor Rougeot
The words “climate change”, “sustainability” and “environment” appear everywhere. From simple buzzwords to fulfill corporate social responsibility duties to meaningful action by individuals and organizations, they are all related to the most pressing issue of our time: climate change.
Indeed, as it was made clear by UN and IPCC reports, human activity has led to a dangerous ecological crisis. As a human rights and environmental activism since the age of 10, I have learned to understand the historical, scientific and socio-economic causes of this crisis. I am offering my help to educators and teachers interested in talking about climate change and the broader ecological crisis. I can explain the consequences of climate change, the reason why it is a pressing issue, the way it intersects with other issues we have like poverty, hunger and access to healthcare. I can also talk about the many potential solutions that exist, and how these very solutions could also help with other social justice issues.
I can also talk about the activism aspect of the issue: what do activist do, what is the environmental movement aiming for, what are climate school strike and the Fridays for Future movement, of which I am the organizer in Toronto? Is this enough? What can students and teachers do to, at their individual level and at a more systematic level?
I can adapt this conversation for younger students who have little prior knowledge of the issue, or older students. Because climate change is an intersectional issue, this kind of presentation or Q&A session can be adapted to science courses, but also literature, history and geography, and of course social sciences. However, arts and music have a huge role to play in the resolution of the crisis, so educators in that domain should not hesitate to contact me too.
I am bilingual and would be happy to conduct the program in French.
Below are media sources in which my role as the leader of Toronto’s climate strike movement is explained:
https://www.westendphoenix.com/stories/anger-is-an-energy
Additionally, here is a deputation done at City Hall in December:
(Start at 20 minutes)
Finally, in the next two weeks a short awareness campaign will be launched, in which I am interviewed and explain further my passion and commitment to the issue. The link to this interview will be shared here.
I look forward to connecting with you and your students to discuss how they can learn more about climate change and take action to make a difference.
Alienor Rougeot
Twitter: @AlienorR2
This post is also available in: Français (French)
