๐ Tender Overview
On the last weekend of November, a hackathon "Teach4Climate: lessons on climate change" was held in Vilnius, the participants of which developed and proposed ideas on how to creatively integrate climate change topics in lessons and extracurricular activities.
"In today's classes, the society of the future and its habits are forming, so both formal education and non-formal education can help schoolchildren and young people understand their role in society and encourage them to strive for a more climate-friendly lifestyle by developing the necessary skills and values," says Dr. Judita Liukaityt?-Kukien?, Adviser of the Climate Policy Group of the Ministry of Environment. According to her, it is not enough to control the processes currently taking place with knowledge. It is necessary to proceed to active operation.
"The climate crisis disrupts the educational process for 40 million children every year. So this is a global challenge that is important to include in the curriculum. However, today climate change is not a horizontal topic, it is not included in the lessons of all subjects, although it could be introduced, for example, in mathematics lessons to calculate GHG emissions or to discuss ecomanipulation through ethics", โ neda ลฝutautait?, executive director of the Knowledge Economy Forum, said. According to the expert, there is a lack of systematic access and distribution of responsibilities. We are still too focused on developing awareness of climate change, and we are not paying enough attention to the social and emotional and behavioral aspects.
To solve these problems, the format of the hackathon is chosen. Experience in recent times has shown that this is a great way to engage new people, new perspectives and ideas to solve climate challenges. This year, the hackathon brought together 6 teams for the weekend, consisting of from schoolchildren to experienced education enthusiasts and business developers. The participants competed for a truly exclusive prize - the organizers planned to allocate as much as 20 thousand to the team that presented the best idea. funding for its further development.
In order for the ideas of the participants to really correspond to the existing problems, the organizers of the event presented three challenges to the participants. Experienced mentors helped the teams to develop their solutions โ experts in innovation, education, climate, communication, business and other fields individually advised participants on issues they had during the mentoring sessions. The teams developed their own solutions for two days and presented them to the jury on Sunday night.
The third place was awarded by the commission to the team of two students "GRE. TUT", which proposed the creation of a play-based online platform on climate change linked to artificial intelligence.
The second place by the decision of the commission went to the team of ninth-tenth graders "Greny", which developed a tool that allows you to interactively plan social-civic activities. By choosing climate-friendly volunteering in a simple digital way, students are encouraged to develop the necessary knowledge and skills and to receive additional benefits in return. The team skillfully thought over partnerships with non-governmental and business organizations, included the dissemination of the tool. The second and third place winners were awarded by Tech Zity with a free stay at tech spa in Druskininkai to strengthen teamwork.
After intensive discussions, the commission took the first place and the opportunity to get 20 thousand. the funding was provided to the team "Nature in the City", which proposed the idea of expanding green spaces near schools, where it would be possible to practically study the theoretical knowledge of climate change heard in the school and develop the competencies necessary for future leaders.
The ideas of the teams and their potential impact on climate and education were evaluated by the project manager and consultant Karolis Vy?ius, the representative of the Climate Policy Group of the Ministry of Environment Maril? Kosait?, the head of the project group of the Environmental Project Management Agency Auลกra ล mitien?, the methodologist, history teacher R?ta Tamkevi?i?t? and the Executive Director of the Knowledge Economy Forum Neda ลฝutautait?.
This hackathon is part of the project "Increasing Energy Efficiency in Lithuania" (No. LIFE20 IPC/LT/000002), funded by the Life Programme of the European Union and the Republic of Lithuania.
