Giving young people a voice in mitigating climate change
CCC-CATAPULT is a multidisciplinary research project that studies the climate agency of young people and utilises inclusive methods in the research efforts. The research project involves a group of young people who received an STUE action grant to organise a climate panel. The panel was organised at Tampere Hall in October 2022 with the purpose of discussing the opportunities of young people to make a difference with regard to mitigating climate change. The young people wrote a blog post on the event. 30 people took part in the panel on location and 50 people followed the event online.
The young people involved in the CCC-CATAPULT project have also provided teachers with ideas on climate education materials based on the information generated by the project. The teachers have read about the experiences of climate education received by British, Irish, Italian and Finnish young people and considered how the education should be developed to encourage more action.
An increased understanding of consumerism through the ‘Escape from the Consumer Society’ project
During the 2022–2023 school year, the Faculty of Education and Culture is working with the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas to develop the ‘Escape from the Consumer Society’ (Pako kulutusyhteiskunnasta) escape game where the fate of the world and its societies is placed in the hands of school children. The players are tasked with solving challenges brought about by industrialisation and the consumer society as well as environmental issues.
The game, which is aimed at children attending their fifth–seventh year of school, takes advantage of the museum environment to demonstrate the brief life span of the consumer society, people’s intertwined roles as consumers and producers of consumer goods, and the global scale of the production activities. The game also challenges children to thing about what a sustainable society could look like. A printable version of the escape game will be designed that can be played in school classrooms. As part of the project, an environmental education week will also be organised for parents and educators in the spring of 2023. The funding for the project was gained through the environmental education support of the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Central Finland.
Read more about the project (in Finnish).
A doctoral thesis on native language teachers as promoters of linguistically and culturally responsible education
PhD candidate Maija Yli-Jokipii conducts research in which the framework (linguistically and culturally responsible pedagogy) and subject (the native language education of multilingual students and the teachers providing it) seek to build a more equal and socially sustainable education system. In her research, Yli-Jokipii gives a voice to a minority that has so far not been hear in Finland: multilingual and immigrant teachers.
Environmental education trials increase the understanding of educational diversity
The course on environmental education trials supplements Tampere University’s course selection during spring seasons. Environmental education trials are methodologically informed projects that are planned, executed, assessed and reported on by students individually or in pairs or groups. The projects are carried out with practical partners.
The purpose of the environmental education projects is to help students grasp the diverse range of environmental education, identify various forms of critical environmental education, strengthen connections to working life and encourage the sharing and public visibility of personal expertise. The trials are also utilised develop stakeholder cooperation around environmental education in a persistent manner. The project results are openly available through the Mappa.fi material bank or other open channels.
Read more about the environmental education trials (in Finnish).
Tampere University involved in mobilising Pirkanmaa’s LUMO strategy
As the first region in Finland, Pirkanmaa has gained a regional biodiversity programme (LUMO) and a related action plan. Tampere University is involved in mobilising the LUMO strategy at Kangasala schools with other partners, such as local organisations (local branch of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), schools, a museum and Ahlman Institute’s environmental studies. The programme and action plan were jointly prepared by Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa and the Council of Tampere Region. The programme aims to combat the loss of natural biodiversity by utilising existing knowledge and expertise. The broad range of operators involved focus on solutions and cooperation.