Jake Lever - Green Space 

Around 5 years ago I started having conversations with my colleagues at Warwick University around the need to prepare the PGCE trainees to integrate education about climate and sustainability into their teaching, whatever the subject.  I am Subject Lead for Art and Design on the course, but my role extends beyond this to wider aspects of the curriculum. So, they encouraged me to get going and Green Space was born, an online climate education conference and resource for all UK and international Early Years, Primary and Secondary PGCE trainees.  This has continued every year and I recently organised the fourth conference for around 300 trainees from across the world, including the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. Our keynote speakers were 7 incredibly informed and articulate school students from Barr’s Hill School in Coventry who were interviewed about a video they made exploring intergenerational perspectives on climate change. Research in recent years has shown that young people in schools feel strongly that more climate literacy needs to be developed in schools to adequately prepare them for the future.  The school students spoke about the need for this generation of teachers to step up to this task and their message to PGCE trainees was incredibly powerful, reflected in some of the comments by trainees; 

Really enjoyed hearing such passionate and inspiring young people. It’s great to see a school engaging with climate change so well.  

It would be impossible not to want to get involved after hearing the students speak with such passion. 

The conference was an excellent experience and the students did an incredible job!