In the mood for climate change

An introduction course on what is climate change and why we should care about it today

Course description

This will be a fun course that will give your the basic information on the phenomenon of climate change. Even though climate change is a top priority at world level and everybody is talking about it, individuals know little about what it actually means and why it is important to take action to stop the warming up of our planet. This course aims to equip young people with the basic knowledge needed to understand the phenomenon of climate change. It will also introduce you to a different learning environment that can serve both as a tool for personal learning and as a tool for teaching others, while creating the context for grasping the basic information on the topic.

In the first two weeks we will give you the chance to explore the platform, reflect on your learning objectives for this course and get to know each other better. The next three weeks will be dedicated to exploring what climate change is, why it is happening, how can we see it and what are its effects. We will also find out interesting things such as: the difference between global warming and climate change, the difference between weather and climate and how amazing our planet really is. Then, we will spend two weeks looking at what is our role in climate change, what changes are in our power and how we can put pressure on other stakeholders to make changes of their own. Finally, we will evaluate if this course has been useful and how we could make it batter.

Course learning outcomes

On successfully completing this eight-week course, you will be able to:

• explain what climate change is, what are its causes and effects and what is the role of humans

• identify at least three ways of reducing your climate footprint

• focus on climate inter-dependencies and the social challenges it brings for already vulnerable areas

• change your habits and become more aware of what effect human being have on the Earth

• commit to at least one way to take action against climate change

• be able to explain what are third generation rights and what are the SDGs

• feel more motivated to put pressure on your country institutions

• increase your level of knowledge on the youth work of the Council of Europe

Course format

The course is divided into eight weeks with one learning units per week. Every unit consists of a series of lectures. Every lecture consists of text, images, videos or quizes. At the end of each unit, there will be a ungraded quiz which will help you review the most important points raised throughout the unit. The course will not have any graded activities, as the purpose here is not to achieve a certain level but to learn at your own pace in order to be prepared for the international seminar.

Every Monday we will launch a new unit and you will have one week to go through the materials and do the tasks assigned.

Weekly quizzes: There will be one quiz every week on the content of the lectures from a unit. Each quiz will include multiple choice questions that will examine your understanding of the learning materials. The quizzes will not be graded and you will be able to take them several times.

Final quiz: At the end of the course there will be a final quiz, summing up the most important issues we have explored in these 8 weeks.

Final assignment: At the end of the course, there is a final project, in which you will work in teams. The project will be done in small groups and it will presented during the international seminar.


Your Instructor


Thomas & Florina
Thomas & Florina

Hello!

We are Thomas and Florina, two young trainers passionate about international youth work and environmental action & education. Between us we have 15 years of experience in youth work, focusing on climate change, volunteering, youth rights and non-formal education.

Thomas has been working as a project coordinator, trainer and vice-president of the International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) and has a educational background as a social policy officer. He has been actively working as a volunteer on climate change and last year he was a youth delegate at the COP 21.

E-mail: [email protected]

Florina has been working on sustainable development for the past 9 years, first as a volunteer and then as project officer for Assistance and Programmes for Sustainable Development - Agenda 21 (APSD-Agenda 21). She has a degree in law and economics and is passionate about non-formal educational and online tools. She worked as MIJARC Europe's assistant secretary for one year.

E-mail: [email protected]


Course curriculum

Unit 0: Getting started (4th - 8th May)

Welcome to the course

Pre-course self-assessment survey

Unit 1: Getting to know each other (9th - 15th May)

Introducing the participants

Unit 2: What is climate change and why it is happening (16th - 22th May)

Is the Earth warming up?

Euhm.. Greenhouse Gases? Atmosphere?

What defines the temperature on Earth?

No pollution is the clear solution, a closer look at CO2, CH4 & N20

Climate change is not the same like global warming

Unit 3: Why we should care about climate change (23rd - 29th May)

Different future scenarios

Earthbook - Everything is connected

Video Lessons on Ecosystems - How humans threaten them

Observed changes of climate change

Unit 4: Effects of climate change (30th May - 5th June)

The effects that we can already see

Is climate change causing extreme weather?

Climate change here and there

Migration caused by climate change

A gender perspective on climate change

Unit 5: My role in climate change (6th - 12th June)

Unit 6: Climate change at high level (13th - 19th June)

Unit 7: See you at the seminar (20th - 26th June)

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts on the 4th May and it ends on 26th June ! However, all its content will be available online as long as this platform exists, therefore anybody can have access to this information longafter the course is officially over.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I joined the course later than the other participants?
We would never want you to feel left behind. Since the working time per week is less than 3 hours, if you join later you can still catch up with the rest, as you can finish one or two learning units per day.
Will I have to be online at a specific time during the online training course?
No! The course is designed with maximum freedom for the participants. You will only have to dedicate maximum three hours per week for each learning unit, in order to go through the materials and do the tasks assigned. You have the freedom to choose when you want to do that: it can be half an hour per day, or three hours one day. What is important is that by the end of the week you will have completed the required tasks for that unit.
What happens if I take the online course but I can no longer come to the seminar?
Even though it is very important to gather at the seminar people with the same level of knowledge who have already met each other during the online training course, we are aware that there are special situations in which for certain participants it becomes really impossible to fulfil their initial commitment. In such cases, we will ask you to inform the person that will take your place during the seminar about the training course and to make all the materials available to him or her.
Will I receive a certificate?
Of course! All the participants who fulfil at least 85% of the training course will be awarded a certificate.

This course is co-financed by the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation

Contact:

Florina Potirniche: [email protected]

Thomas Gits: [email protected]

MIJARC Europe's Office: [email protected]