"Climate box" soon in front of young people in Serbia

July 21, 2020

Children and young people in Serbia will soon receive a national version of an innovative, interactive textbook on climate change called "Climate Box".

It is an innovative educational package for preschoolers, primary and secondary school students, that will contribute to raising awareness and levels of usable knowledge about climate change and its consequences for the living world on the planet.

Keeping in mind that the most important and sought-after professions of the future are in this area, it is necessary to educate new generations in the direction of preserving and regenerating the environment, to ensure a healthier, safer, and cleaner tomorrow.

The box will contain a textbook adapted for teaching children in primary and secondary schools, over 100 quiz-cards for interactive knowledge testing, a map-poster of climate changes, as well as a special manual for lecturers.

During August, the box will be translated into Serbian with local examples and presentations of real conditions and thus adjusted to the needs of the domestic education system. The adaptation of the "Climate Box" also includes training for lecturers in the field of biology, geography, physics, and environmental protection.

It is in those generations that we hope to correct the mistakes we have made so far and heal the planet for a happy and healthy life of those who inherit it from our hands. Therefore, education focused on climate change from the first school days is key to forming the attitude and awareness of young people, and the "Climate Box" provides knowledge. Also, with its interactive nature engages young people from preschool to high school age.

Adaptation and upgrade of the "Climate Box" for the needs of working with children and youth in Serbia was entrusted to the Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development, UG Zlatiborski Krug and Mikser, which combined rich knowledge and experience in sustainable development and youth education to meet needs millennials in school and provided students with the freedom to create, explore, associate and learn in an environment that is most natural to them.

The "Climate Box" was created in Russia in 2015. as part of an international pilot project of the United Nations Development Program - UNDP. The original box (http://climate-box.com/) was created by an interdisciplinary team of Russian experts including climatologists, geographers, biologists, economists, environmental experts, teachers... So far, the package has been translated and implemented in seven more countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The Serbian adaptation of the textbook is part of a project in the field of climate change implemented by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, with the technical support of the UN Development Program and the financial support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).