The My School, My Planet project is rolling out to Liverpool and Southampton soon and is introducing children who would normally through cultural or socio-economic reasons have less access to the natural world.
There are many environmental projects for schools, however, what sets the project apart is the additional cultural aspect. Helping children from differing cultural backgrounds to understand how environmental changes have a direct impact on their own particular heritage is so relevant now. My School, My Planet had input from cultural consultant, Myvanwy Evans from Louder Than Words, who worked with the Tate gallery to build this part of the programme.
Web: www.vitispr.com
Why culture matters in learning about the natural environment
Carley Sefton, CEO Learning through Landscapes explains it here: “The natural environment sector, it’s a very white sector, it lacks diversity. One of the things we know is that representation really matters. If young people aren’t seeing people talk about this stuff, they recognize they may not see themselves in this space. The project was born out of that and what we want to achieve is that every young person feels included. And that’s because they see representation, they understand the role they play, but also that unique story that every young person has around their cultural heritage, because that is also really important. If your family is from Dominica, they are more affected by climate than you would be living in England. Understanding that difference is really valuable. You may celebrate your heritage but may not genuinely understand what that looks like on the ground.”
“We are really keen to get young people to think about their cultural heritage, and that isn’t just globally. In Northern Ireland that was around a mushroom farm, in Yorkshire that’d be around mining, but actually understanding your own heritage in relationship to climate and the effects on the world is really important and I’m not a great fan of the act local think global but I think in this project it’s really important for young people to understand their role that they can make a change it doesn’t have to be costly and it’s science-based this stuff is really well thought out and actually will help them go into jobs that we can’t even dream about in the future about in the future“.
Pioneering UK project: 16 Walsall schools unite for ‘My School My Planet’ climate and biodiversity initiative
Inaugural regional project wraps up; celebrates achievements in environmental education and biodiversity; unique cultural analysis identifies underserved communities with less access to nature; Liverpool and Southampton next
Walsall 27 October 2023 – My School, My Planet has successfully completed its first regional project in 16 Walsall schools, to ensure that an ethnically and culturally diverse group of children take part in Outdoor Learning and understand how habitat loss and local actions can have a wider environmental impact. Further project rollouts are taking place in Liverpool and planned for Southampton.
The 15-month project, managed by Learning through Landscapes, provided children from disadvantaged backgrounds with a valuable opportunity to learn about climate change, soil health, and biodiversity, as well as their relationship with the environment.
The project is unique in that it was developed with input from Myvanwy Evans, a leading cultural consultant, with the aim of driving environmental awareness and change in communities where children may have, due to cultural or socio-economic factors, limited opportunities to engage with their natural surroundings.
The My School, My Planet (MSMP) project reached approximately 300 pupils in the 16 participating schools. The schools worked with 12 community groups that introduced honey making and farm visits.
Other favourable outcomes of MSMP include improved soil conditions and more biodiverse school grounds and green spaces, which are better equipped to withstand the effects of climate change. This has a knock-on effect of contributing to the enhanced well-being and enjoyment for local communities of the now transformed green spaces.
Carley Sefton, CEO at Learning through Landscapes, said: “The project has been a great success. The year 5 and 6 pupils have not only embraced the opportunity to enhance their surroundings, but have also become catalysts for change. They are proactively addressing the pressing issue of climate change and also transforming their school grounds into vibrant, eco-friendly sanctuaries, benefiting both the local wildlife and their fellow students. These young leaders are on a mission to make a lasting impact, one green initiative at a time, while their teachers are well placed to continue this project with future learners.”
(Quote from Carley from event): “We are looking to create a fully inclusive project where we promote collective action and no young child is excluded. For example, the environment and climate change is very much a white middle-class agenda, driving Ev fly less or change to a new boiler being priorities. These don’t really work for children who are living in poverty or and served. No child should be explained when growing up in early western society. We may not understand the effect of climate change so what we did is look back to where some of the children came from. For example, they may have ancestors in Dominica, Ghana and relate climate change back to their own community or cultural journey, so they understand their heritage and how climate affects that and how what we do as a direct effect on the environment further away.”
Mollie-Mae Robins, a year 5 pupil at Pinfold Street Primary School, Darleston, said:
“The My School My Planet project has helped us pupils to understand nature and make changes to improve our environment. The sensory planting to attract insects was one of my favourite things to work on, and what I have learned I share with my friends and family for a better environment.”
Mr Simon Griffiths, Headteacher, Lindens Primary School, Streetly, said:
“The My School My Planet project has helped our whole school community to gain a greater awareness of the climate and the effect that our actions have on it. The children, the staff and their families have become more aware of how to protect our environment as much as we can to safeguard the future.”
Myvanwy Evans, Cultural consultant, Louder than Words, said:
“My School My Planet is a vital project for all pupils and especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds as they navigate the increasingly challenging world they live in.”
“Louder Than Words has worked collaboratively with Learning through Landscapes across the My School My Planet project. Our cultural consultancy aims to connect and bring to life the relationship between cultural heritage and natural heritage. Walsall pupils have been learning outdoors about their local community, their culture and natural environment, this has empowered them and given them a much deeper connection to the planet and their place in it.”
Mrs Emily Kinsey, Co-Headteacher, Palfrey Junior School, Walsall, said:
“We wanted a pond, we wanted a sensory garden, we wanted to be able to grow plants and vegetables, so this project has given us the opportunity to do that.”