Empowering youth to LEAD for climate action
Leadership for Environment And Development in northeastern Nigeria.
Context
Effective climate education is important. It can help raise people’s awareness and understanding of climate change, empower people to make informed decisions, and enable people to adapt to, and mitigate the effects of, a changing climate. Effective climate education should help people to develop the skills and knowledge to take action, both individually and collectively and it should inspire hope. This project will focus on the development of an effective climate education and leadership programme targeting youth across different states of north eastern Nigeria, with a focus on empowering them to take meaningful climate action within their communities.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of this collaboration is to develop a climate education focussed research project, aimed at empowering secondary school students in northeastern Nigeria to take meaningful climate action within their communities. Dr Abdullahi's background in environmental management in Nigeria provides a strong understanding of the environmental challenges experienced (and how these have been impacted by the political situation) in this region of Nigeria. The project also draws on the research and pedagogical interests of Dr Holmes (environmental education, experiential learning, outdoor learning, outreach activities).
We propose to develop a project which includes action-oriented learning approaches, incorporating experiential learning and community projects (including local climate action projects, field trips and climate labs), alongside carbon literacy / climate education modules, climate leadership modules, and teacher training and support, in order to support a generation of climate-conscious leaders equipped to address the climate crisis (in their schools, communities and beyond).
The YESI international fellowship will enable Dr Abdullahi to visit the University of York to facilitate collaboration on the development of a new research funding proposal. This proposal will combine the skills, knowledge and expertise of the team, who hope to bring together international colleagues in the development of this interdisciplinary action-oriented climate education project.
Dr Naomi Holmes, Department of Education and Department of Environment and Geography
Bio: Naomi Holmes is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Education, based jointly in the Department of Education and the Department of Environment and Geography. Naomi has broad research interests around environmental education, combining a background in researching past environmental change with an interest in teaching and learning (particularly experiential learning). This has led to more of a focus around how best to enable people to understand the science and implications of environmental change (through education), and to develop their knowledge and skills to support them to take and drive action around environmental sustainability, climate and nature recovery.
Dr Amina Sheikh Abdullahi, Department of Environmental Management, Bayero University, Kano
Bio: Amina Sheikh Abdullahi PhD is a Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. Dr. A. S. Abdullahi is a Member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), and Environmental Health Scientist Association of Nigeria (EHSAN). Her research interests address environmental concerns through environmental education and environmental quality assessments. Her research interest is in the area of Environmental Biology, Health and Toxicology. She teaches both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Environmental Management, Public health and Environmental Health Sciences.