final wings of change workshop outline - version 2

8/4/2019 FINAL Wings of Change Workshop Outline - Version 2

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Wings of Change

Workshop Outline

Developed by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition

Summer

2011

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Workshop 2

Workshop Summary 4

Introduction + Ice Breakers 5

Basic Climate Change Science 6


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Climate Change Impacts 7

Climate Justice - The CO2 Game 8

Debrief of CO2 Game - Root Causes ofClimate Change

9

Climate Change Aerobics 10

The Importance of Social Movements 11

Wigs of Change 12

The United Nations in Durban 13

Conclusion 14

Appendices

Draft Letter to teachers 15

Classroom sign-up sheet 16

GHG Diagram 18

Carbon Cycle Diagram 19

Template for cutting out feathers (to

do)

Instructions (with sketches) for

assembling wings (to do)

PPT/printouts for visuals (electronic

version)


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Introduction to the Workshop

Description

This interactive, skills-based workshops is part of a larger campaign facilitated by the

Canadian Youth Climate Coalition called the Wings of Change. The Wings of Change

workshop links the hard science of climate change to practical, community basedalternatives and strategies for collective action. At the end of the workshops, participantswill be asked to use words and pictures to represent the kind of Canada that they want to be

living in 20 years from now. Their plans for a more sustainable Canada will be recorded

on pieces of cloth that will become the feathers of giant bird puppets who will converge on

Parliament Hill carrying messages from thousands of young people across the country.The workshop is unique in that it moves beyond simply informing young people about the

issues by encouraging participants to find their political voices and providing them with the

opportunity to be part of a larger movement. It combines principles of pageantry, theatre

and collective artistic expression to deliver messages directly from young people to decision

makers. Importantly, the project itself models the type of action that young people can take

to challenge existing paradigms.

Your job as a facilitator is to a facilitate an interactive workshop that engages participants,

challenges them to question the status quo, produces feathers for the Wings of Change

convergence on Parliament Hill, and ideally inspires young people to become actively

involved in the youth climate movement.

Materials:

- Black Board and chalk OR Flip chart stand, paper and permanent markers

- Laptop, PPT projector and screen OR Poster-sized photocopies of ppt slides

- Cloth feathers

Before you arrive in the classroom:

Ask the teacher to make sure they arrange for an introductory lesson to climate change

science, impacts and adaptation before you facilitate the workshop. You will be

reviewing the basics, but not spending a whole lot of time on the details, so the students

need to be adequately prepared.

Workshop logistics:

- 60 minutes in length

- Scheduled for the 2nd period of the day on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday

- 30 participants maximum

- Push the desks up against the wall and create a circle with the chairs

Strategies:

- Interactive games, activities and discussions

- Brainstorming and Story telling

- The art of questioning - the answers come from the participants

General Tips for Facilitators (READ ME):


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- It is deceptively easy to get hung up in the climate change science and impacts section of

the workshop. Remember, all that the students need is a basic understanding of the

science. The purpose of this workshop is to convince students that major changes are

needed to avoid catastrophic climate change, that these changes are entirely possible, and

that they have an important role to play in making this change a reality. Avoid going into

too much detail on the science, and focus on the other sections of the workshop- If the students have tonnes of questions about the science aspect of climate change,

acknowledge the importance of their questions, but let them know that this workshop will

be focusing on how we can create change as opposed to how the science works.

Encourage them to write down their questions and do some independent research after the

workshop. They can even send you an email and you can answer any additional

questions they may have

- Be prepared to adapt the workshop depending on where the group is at. Different groups

will connect with different aspects of the workshop, and you need to be ready to be

flexible. Remember, this package is intended to provide you with guidelines, not a rule

book.

- Some participants will be more eager to participate than others. Leave that extra couple ofseconds for the rest of the group to digest your question and consider an answer, rather

than picking the first hand that shoots up in the room

- Whenever possible, take time to debrief with the teacher after the workshop and ask for

their feedback - this workshop is meant to improved, and their feedback can be an

important part of making it stronger.

- Have fun!


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Workshop SummaryTotal Time: 60 minutes

Workshop section Description and materials Time

Introduction and ice

breakers

Select and icebreaker and

get the group up andmoving around the room

10

Basic Climate Change

Science

Materials:

ppt or print outs

Black board or flip chart

stand, paper and

markers

5

Climate Change Impacts Materials:

ppt or print outs


stand, paper and

markers

10

Climate Justice - the CO2

game

Materials:

Volunteers

CO2 cardboard circles

(10)

Fake money (10

bundles)

5

Root Causes of Climate

Change (time permitting,

depending on where the

group is at)

Materials:

ppt or print outs


stand, paper andmarkers

5

Wings of Change Materials:

Permanent markers

Cloth feathers

10

The Importance of Social

Movements

Materials:

ppt or print outs


stand, paper and

markers

5

CYD in Durban Materials:

ppt or print outs

5

Conclusion + Evaluation Materials:

Contact sign up sheet

Scrap paper for

evaluation

5


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Classroom checklist Feathers

Contact Info (yours)

Contact info (theirs)

Confirmed teacher

interest in COP

materials


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Introduction

Introduce yourself: Who you are, where youre from, and why youre here. Ask the

participants to introduce themselves: their names, and one thing they know about climate

change

Ice breaker (Select one of the following, or use your own, with a climate-change twist)

The North Wind Blows

Description:

Participants all stand in a circle, and either remove a shoe, or use something to mark their

place in the circle. The facilitator stands in the middle and explains the exercise. Whoever

is in the middle calls out The North Wind Blows on... and finishes the sentence with a

characteristic, activity or feeling that is probably shared by a number of people in the circle.

For example, The North Wind Blows on anyone who has blue eyes or is wearing black

or has never been to BC. Everyone that the statement applies to has to run out into the

middle of the circle and find another place. Whoever is left without a place becomes the

new person in the middle who calls out the next The North Wind Blows statement.

Tips for facilitators:

- Encourage statements about climate change. Ex: whos noticed we get less snow than

we used to.

Body Sculptures

Description

Participants are instructed to walk around the room, mingling with each other in no

particular order. The facilitator then calls out, in groups of ____, create ____!).

Participants use their bodies to create sculptures that respond to the theme called out by the

facilitator. They have between 15 and 30 seconds to put together their creation, and then

several of the groups are invited to present their sculptures to the larger group. Everyone

then continues to move around the room, until the facilitator calls out another number and

theme, and the exercise is repeated several more times (depending on the responsiveness of

the group and the amount of time you have for the exercise). The last call-out should bring

everyone together in one large group to make a giant sculpture rather than dividing into

smaller groups.

Suggested sequence:

- In groups of 3, create something that is contributing to climate change

- In groups of 5, create an alternative energy technology (ie wind, solar, geothermal,

biofuel, etc)

- In groups of 10, create an example of sustainable transportation

- As one big group, create a solution to climate change


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- If the group needs a little coaching, remind them that there are no right or wrong answers

- When asking participants to describe their sculpture, ask them what their sculpture

represents, and what they think this theme might have to do with climate change.

- If the last sculpture dissolves into chaos, thats ok! Remind participants that climate

change is a big challenge, and we hope that by the end of the workshop theyll have aclearer idea of what to do about it.


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Basic Climate Change Science

Description:

Provide a brief introduction to the science of climate change. Review the Greenhouse

Effect diagram, either using the powerpoint presentation or the printouts. Ask participants

to turn to their neighbour and make a list of different human activities that release

greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Afterwards, make a list together on the blackboard.

Let the participants know that there are viable alternatives to each of these activities, and that

we will be returning to this list later on in the workshop.

Potential Answers:

- Burning fossil fuels:

- Cars

- Airplanes

- Heating homes

- Large scale agriculture

- Landfills

- Deforestation


- Ask questions! In all likelihood, the participants are familiar with both the Greenhouse

Effect and the Carbon Cycle - you just need to coax the knowledge out of them

- Remind participants that the Greenhouse Effect and the Carbon Cycle are both extremely

important - without either of them; planet earth would not be able to support life as we

know it! However, a lot of stuff that human beings have added to the atmosphere,

especially since the Industrial Revolution, have changed these cycles (and not in a good

way...)

- We will be returning to some of the root causes of climate change later on in the

workshop

- It is deceptively easy to get hung up in the climate change science and impacts section of

the workshop. Remember, all that the students need is a basic understanding of the science.

The purpose of this workshop is to convince students that major changes are needed to

avoid catastrophic climate change, that these changes are entirely possible, and that they

have an important role to play in making this change a reality. Avoid going into too much

detail on the science, and focus on the other sections of the workshop

- If the students have tonnes of questions about the science aspect of climate change,

acknowledge the importance of their questions, but let them know that this workshop will

be focusing on how we can create change as opposed to how the science works.Encourage them to write down their questions and do some independent research after the

workshop. They can even send you an email and you can answer any additional questions

they may have


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Climate Change Impacts

Description

Provide a brief summary of the impacts of climate change. Use pictures, either the

powerpoint or printouts, as well as stories to illustrate the examples you provide. Start with

a significant impact that climate change is going to have on their community, and thenalternate between Canadian and international examples of climate change impacts, finishing

with a last example of how climate change will impact them personally in their community.

Provide examples of young people roughly the same age as the participants in other

countries as well as other communities, and discuss how their lives are being and will be

even more severely impacted by climate change.

Suggested Sequence:

- An example from your local community that will resonate with the workshop participants

- Water scarcity in the Andes - Many Andean communities rely on glacier-fed rivers and

streams for their water supply. Once those glaciers are gone, so is their water supply

(Climate Change Impact: Glacial Melt)- Climate change impacts in the North - discuss increased storm intensity, coastal erosion,

shrinking sea ice, shifting animal migration patterns, decreased reliability of ice roads, and/

or impacts on Aboriginal communities, traditional knowledge and capacity to live off of the

land, etc.. (Climate Change Impact: Food Security, Traditional Knowledge, Biodiversity,

Infrastructure)

- Sea level rise in the Republic of Maldives (link this to low lying costal areas in Halifax

and Vancouver) (Climate Change Impact: Sea Level Rise)

- More frequent, severe and unpredictable weather patterns result in ice storms, tornados,

- Projected 30% decrease in crop yields in Saskatchewan, the breadbasket of Canada

- An example from your local community that will resonate with the workshop participants

- + Any other impacts that they can think of and would like to discuss


- This section is going to require you to do a little research. Weve provided you with some

stock examples of Canadian and international examples, but dont forget to bring it back to

the local level and connect them to impacts that they are and will be experiencing in their

own communities.

- Start with a question: What kind of climate change impacts will we be experiencing here

in Canada? Here in this community? In other parts of the world? Some groups will be able

to come up with a whole list of answers all on their own, and youll just need to fill in the

blanks. Others will need a little bit more coaching

- Continue to ask questions and keep the participants actively engaged: can you think ofother climate change impacts that Canadian communities will be experiencing?, or can

anyone give me an example of how you and your family will be impacted by smaller

harvests out on the prairies?

- Ask participants to tell you what is wrong with each picture that you show them, and to

guess what this might have to do with climate change

- Know your facts! If you dont feel comfortable speaking to a particular climate change

impact, and you havent had time to do your research, skip it! Its better to provide less,


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but more factual information than to fudge on your facts.

- If youve travelled in Canada or internationally and witnessed the impacts of climate

change first-hand, nows the time to bust out your stories. Stories can really hook

participants and help them to connect with the issues, even if they havent personally

witnessed the same climate change impacts


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Climate Justice - The CO2 Game

Description

The purpose of this activity is to illustrate the gross inequity in the world in terms of whos

producing the carbon, and whos paying the consequences of climate change. You will

need 10 volunteers, 10 pieces of card with CO2 written on them (big enough for oneperson to stand on), and 10 wads of fake cash (ie monopoly money)

Script for the activity:

You 10 represent the world population of? (ask group... about 6 billion).

The C02 you are standing on represents the amount of carbon we produce globally. Who

remembers some of the sources of carbon that we discussed earlier in the workshop? (ask

group... cars, planes, industry, cow farts, industrial agriculture, etc.)

The money represents the global GDP. Whats GDP? (ask group...)

So, of the 6 billion people in the world and the worlds wealthiest nations - which

are? (ask group... Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, USA, UK, Japan, Canada)

Exactly. But, only 12% of the worlds population is part of these countries. So who wantsto represent the rich nations? (ask that person & their C02 to move a little aside)

Now, 48% of the worlds GDP is made by the worlds wealthiest countries (take 4

peoples cash and hand it over to the person representing the rich nation (RN))

The worlds wealthiest countries also produce 62% of the worlds CO2 emissions (take 5

C02s from the other countries and give them to the person representing the RN to stand on.

Everyone else has to squish onto the remaining 4 CO2s.)

Theres a reason a few countries make almost half the worlds money. Those same few

countries also are home to 98% of the worlds multinational corporations (hand over all

but 1 wads of cash to RN)

The International Panel on Climate Change is an international body that provides the world

with the most respected scientific data on climate change. They have reached a consensusthat we need to reduce global carbon emissions by 60-80 % below 1990 levels by 2050 to

avoid catastrophic climate change. So based on what you see here, who has both the

financial resources and would have the biggest impact by cutting down on their CO2

emissions? (hopefully everyone points at RN)

So, the scientists tell us that we need to reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions by at

least this much (have the person representing the rich nations hold up all six of their

CO2s)

And we know that since rich countries have the most money (hold up the wads of cash)

And produce the most emissions (point to the 6 CO2s)

Even though they only represent 12% of the worlds population, the rich nations - and

remember, that includes Canada - are in the best position to reduce their greenhouse gasemissions. How much do you think Canada has committed to reduce our greenhouse gas

emissions? (have the participants guess) Anyone? (pause) 25% below 2005

levels (IPCC recommends 60%-80% below 1990 levels)

And based on our governments current policies here in Canada, what kind of GHG

emission reductions are we actually going to accomplish? (have the participants guess)

Anyone? (pause) Pembina Institute: we would be lucky to reduce our emissions from

business as usual by only a few percent with current plans. (Chuck little scrap of carbon


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away)

So, rest of the world. How are you feeling about developed nations? (Riot ensues

yay!... or folks ask for RN to give some back..or not much happens!)

Thank everyone and they will sit back down.


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Debrief: Root Causes of Climate Change

Purpose:

The goal of this debrief is to challenge the participants to move beyond the physical causes

that are leading to climate change (burning fossil fuels) into some of the underlying factors

that have brought us to this point - overconsumption, disposable lifestyles, etc.

Ask participants the following questions:

After completing this activity, what have you learned about the root causes of climate

change (probing question: So weve talked about the physical causes of climate change

(point to list of causes on the board) but who are the people who are contributing the

most to climate change?)

What about the rich countries is different from the developing countries

Does everyone in the rich countries contribute equally to climate change, or do some people

contribute more than others

Who makes the decisions about these things the rich countries (potential answers:

governments, rich people, corporations, oil companies)What are some of the things that we can do to change this?


- Challenge participants to make the link between individual actions (composting my apple

core) to collective action (lobbying the city to expand city-wide composting programmes to

include apartment buildings)

- Remember, your primary task as a facilitator is to ask questions! Try not to provide them

with the answers! Instead, ask leading questions to draw the knowledge out of the group

(for example, is burning fossil fuels the only way to power our vehicles? or what sorts

of things could governments be doing to encourage these alternatives? or do you think

that the way we design our cities has anything to do with how we get around town? Whatcould we be doing instead?.


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Climate Change Aerobics

Description

At this point in the workshop, energy may be a little bit low, so its time to get everyone up

and moving around so the blood can flow back to their brains! Assemble the entire group

into a circle standing up and facing inwards. Instruct the group to watch you and followyour instructions and actions and then start this sequence:

Reach your hands up to the sky - Creating a clean, just and sustainable future

means that we have some high and lofty goals, and we need to reach for those

goals, and always keep reaching!

Reach down to the ground - But we need to remember that these goals are

connected to and depend on our communities and the grassroots, so we need to

reach deep and connect with them

Spinning arms (windmills) - And when we do we can feel the winds of change

blowing, bringing in solutions like these windmills!

Hard work (do the mash potato) - But we need to remember that this is going tobe hard work! So lets work hard...

Shake it all off - And were going to end up shaking off the old system, replacing

it with a newer, better one!


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The Importance of Social Movements

Description

At this point in the workshop, there are probably some sceptics in the room, who may or

may not have voiced their opinion about how realistic it is for us to shift as a society

towards a more just, sustainable world. Its time to challenge their belief that the status quois inevitable. Ask participants to:

Stand up if you or someone in your family makes at least minimum wage

Stand up if your mom can vote

Stand up if you can sit anywhere on the bus that you want

Stand up if you can go to the doctor without paying thousands of dollars first

Point out that all of these are things that were accomplished by social movements, and were

at one time hugely controversial and dismissed as impossible by the vast majority of

society. Its because people were willing to come together and fight for a common dream

that we now have these rights.

What are some other things that have been accomplished by social movements?

Potential answers:

Civil rights

Gay rights

Indigenous rights

Etc.

Tips for Facilitators:

- If one of the participants points out that, for example, their mom cant vote because shesan immigrant, agree that we still have lots of work to do, and reinforce the importance of

social movements in pushing our government and our society to do better.

- Make sure to emphasize that all of these are things were won by social movements, and

at one time, all of these things were considered impossible by the status quo (use example

of women being ridiculed for demanding the right to vote, as women are obviously

incapable of making important decisions.

- Avoid getting into a debate about different things that have or have not been

accomplished through social movements. If there are any problematic statements,

acknowledge the answers, and suggest that you speak further after the workshop.


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The Wings of Change

Description

Distribute pieces of cloth and permanent markers to everyone in the classroom. Instruct the

participants to use words or pictures to describe the kind of Canada they want to be living

in 25 years from now. Ask them to consider what we are currently doing to contribute toclimate change, and what we could be doing instead to build a more just, sustainable

country.

Explain that this same workshop is being facilitated in classrooms across Canada, and that

their messages will be joined by messages from thousands of other Canadian youth to form

the feathers on giant wings to symbolize our hope for a better future than the one our

parents generation is currently negotiating on our behalf. These wings will be delivered

directly to decision makers on Parliament Hill as a powerful declaration of the world we

intend to inherit. Its time for Canadians to start changing their politics, and stop changing

our climate.

Tips for facilitators

- Some participants are going to be more into the activity than others. Make sure that you

walk around the room and interact with the participants. Ask them what they are drawing,

comment on things that you like, and make suggestions for participants that seem a little

stuck

- Remind the participants that this isnt about art skills - its about ideas. They can use

words, or pictures, or a combination of both to illustrate the Canada they want to be living

in 25 years from now

- This is a great time to circulate the sign up sheet for participants to sign up to receive

additional information about the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition and how they can get

involved.


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The United Nations Climate Change Negotiations in Durban

Description

Explain to participants that at the end of November, 20 young people from communities

across Canada will be travelling to Durban, South Africa to participate in the 17th round of

Climate Change Negotiations at the United Nations, where countries from around the worldwill be meeting to agree on greenhouse gas emission targets.

The Canadian Youth Delegation is the voice of the Canadian youth climate movement at

international United Nations climate conferences. While in Durban, they will be your voice

the voice of a generation who will be forced to live in a future we too often do not have a

voice in creating. They will be joining forces with youth from around the world to

challenge our leaders inaction while reporting back to you on what is happening on the

ground (good time to encourage them to follow us on twitter, facebook, the CYD blog and

the CYDaily).

In the lead-up to Durban, members of the delegation will be organizing in theircommunities (through activities like this workshop) to build the empowered movement we

need. The CYD will also strive to work with our allies from communities who are most

impacted by climate change in order to amplify the voices too often left unheard or

underrepresented in international decision-making forums like these UN meetings.

BUT WE REALLY, REALLY NEED YOU because we wont be able to stop climate

change in the halls of any international meeting until we create a mass, self-empowering,

grassroots movement that is demanding and building a more just world. We need as many

people as possible creating the change they want to see in their own communities.

Were hoping to stay in touch with you and keep you up to date on what were up to inDurban. Share your contact information, and well send you lots of info about how you

can get involved here in Canada.


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Conclusion

Description

Its likely that by this time in the workshop, time may be tight, but if its possible, make

sure that you allow time for questions. Hopefully a number of the students have also

signed up to receive additional information about the CYCC. Also, take the time to handout pieces of scrap paper and ask the participants to complete the following sentences:

I liked...

I learned...

Next time...


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Appendices

Draft E-mail to Teachers

Hi (insert name of teacher),

My name is (insert your name) and I received your contact information from (the first name

of the individual) from (the name of the partner organization that shared the teachers

contact info). (name of individual from referring organization) suggested that I get in touch

with you because he/she knows that you have an interest in environmental issues and like

to bring guest speakers and facilitators into your classroom.

I am working with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, a youth led organization that is

working towards building a more just, sustainable future. Weve developed a dynamic,

interactive workshop that challenges high school students to consider the impacts of climate

change on their community, and to identify their role in becoming part of the solution toclimate change. As part of the workshop, each student will have the opportunity to create a

message about the kind of Canada that they want to be living in 25 years from now. These

messages will be delivered directly to decision makers in Ottawa as part of a colourful,

creative event that will reframe the conversation about climate change. There are strong

links between the workshop content and curriculum for geography, science, social science

and civics classes, including climate change, social justice and civic engagement

I would be available to come into your classroom any time during the next 6 weeks

(preferably on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) to facilitate. The workshop is

approximately 60 minutes long, and I would be happy to facilitate in more than one

classroom while I am in the school.

Let me know if you have any questions, and please feel free to share this e-mail with

colleagues at (insert name of high school) or teachers at other high schools throughout

(insert name of community) who you think might like to have me in to chat with their

students.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

(Your name + contact information)


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Yes! I would like to receive regular updates from the Canadian

Youth Climate Coalition!Name E-mail Address


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GHG Diagram

If you do not have access to a powerpoint projector, make sure you print off this diagram

to illustrate the Greenhouse Effect.

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT


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Carbon Cycle

If you do not have access to a powerpoint projector, make sure you print off this diagram

to illustrate the Carbon Cycle.

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 3

final wings of change workshop outline - version 2

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