Project update March 2023

Since launching the workshops in November 2022 there have been a total of 18 workshops delivered to local North Belfast schools. With critical support from the Schools’ Outreach team, we had two KS2 schools: Currie Primary School and St. Mary’s Primary School sign up for the entire length of the programme – with St. Mary’s signing up both their P6 and P7 classes.

Spread across six weeks, with each workshop lasting an hour, the programme delved into different environmental topics :

1. Becoming Architects of Change
2. Lessons Learned from Other Countries
3. Caring About Carbon
4. Remembering our 3 R’s: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling
5. Building A Better Belfast
6. Figuring Out The Future – Together

Becoming Architects of Change

At the first workshop the children learnt how and why the current climate crisis affects them, their community, and the environment.

In groups, the children learnt about the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, drew, and discussed what superpowers they would have to help the planet e.g., ability to freeze water so polar bears would retain their habitat due to melting ice caps, and read the Sustainable Development comic book that accompanies the SDG introduction.

And lastly, through artistic expression the children designed a poster celebrating their love of the natural environment; they drew flowers, hilly landscapes, cherry blossoms, leaves, perfect summer days and the insects that pervade the air and ground.

Lessons Learned from Other Countries

In our second workshop we focused on “Lessons Learned From Other Countries” and how other children and young adults are combating climate effects. In our first activity, we drew and wrote what we loved most about Belfast; our green spaces, our waterways, landmarks, and the communities around us.

This activity taught them appreciation for their home city and how, though Belfast is tiny in population in comparison to other cities, we have the means to be great by engaging in our environment and working with each other. Through watching videos and presentations on how other countries are alleviating climate stressors, the children drew how they felt or understood what it means to be a climate custodian.

For our second activity, using paints, crayons, and colourings pencils, children designed artwork focusing on how they felt animals and their habitats were impacted by rising sea levels, human overconsumption, or global warming: some were inspired to draw polar bears and penguins in desert landscapes, or painted how they could better improve our world by painting an ideal forest with various wild animals living in a balanced ecosystem.

Other children drew barren vistas with flames licking the scorched earth and a wan sun suspended in darkened skies. Despite these stark drawings, we discussed how we could better improve our current situation and came up with small and big solutions.

Caring About Carbon

In our third workshop we discussed our carbon impact and what our carbon footprint means. We painted the soles of our feet and wrote what “bad” and “good” actions we could make to lower our impact on the environment. The kids especially loved the chaos involved with painting their feet! They worked very well split into groups to come up with ideas for improvement. Throughout each session the children were encouraged to voice their opinions, and this was a breeding ground for ample discussion amongst their peers.

Within this same workshop we came up with designs to repurpose old tote bags from the original art shop located on our Belfast campus. These tote bags featured the word “UNIQUE” and were prominently in the middle of the bag. Children were encouraged to be as creative as possible; they drew their favourite cartoon characters, footballers, nature scenes and either incorporated the word “UNIQUE” into their designs or completely covered it.

At the end of this workshop the children were sent home with “homework” — My Carbon Checklist. These colourful worksheets were designed to list the days of week alongside actions to be taken: “I used the compost bin”, “I turned off the taps when not in use”, “I recycled” and “I used public transport”.

These worksheets were handed out along with stickers to encourage the children to “tick” off as many actions as possible during the week.

Remembering Our 3 R’s: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling

At our fourth workshop, the children, their teachers, and teaching assistants were all invited onto our Belfast campus at York Street. We held our upcycling workshops at the Art Shop, previously known as “Unique”. Located on the ground floor of the art campus, the Art Shop — featuring mixed media sculptures, fine art and functional homeware from current students and Alumni — was a great backdrop to host our event.

At each of the two workshops, there were two Belfast School of Art students from Fine Art and Sculpture backgrounds. University students and school children worked on the designs together using various mediums: fabric pens, fabric paint, tassels, extra fabric offcuts, buttons, glitter, etc. The children were tasked with recreating their 2D designs and revelled in making their tote bags as outlandish and as colourful as possible. Refreshments were provided and a University photographer was present at the first up-cycling workshop.

After completing their tote bags and allowing them to dry, the students were taken on a campus tour by Schools’ Outreach – they visited the Skybridge, the Link Bridge, various lecture theatres, the rooftop garden, and the atria. At the end of the workshop, the children took their redesigned tote bags home.

Building A Better Belfast

For our fifth workshop the children learnt the basics about renewable technology and the benefits of introducing these into our classrooms and current buildings.

For our worksheet activity we designed a “Net Zero Classroom” where we cut out photos of solar panels, water tanks, smart monitoring systems for heat and energy, compost bins, and recycling bins and stuck them onto our pre-drawn classrooms.

The children were encouraged to draw tables, chairs, and gardens to feed their compost bins including drawing rain and the sun — connecting all pictures to their relevant renewable sources.

Figuring Out the Future - Together

For our sixth and final workshop we created our own terrariums*. Each child was tasked with bringing in a clean glass jar of some kind – either a jam, coffee, or pasta jar. Some children brought larger containers to house their terrariums.

Children also brought in small toys and foraged for moss, twigs, rocks in their local parks and gardens.

In the spirit of this final workshop, the children learnt about reusing otherwise neglected and forgotten objects. They learnt about soil ecosystems, including caring for a live plant ( there was a mixture of rainforest style plants: fittonias, spider plants, pileas, vines, etc.). At the end of this workshop the children got to take home their terrariums.

Climate custodians – the next generation

Throughout these workshops the children worked on a range of activities: from arts and crafts to worksheets, up-cycling fabric tote bags and even making their own terrariums by reusing old glass pasta and coffee jars.

These workshops taught them a wide range of topics – renewable technology, sustainability, climate destruction and their carbon footprint.

What’s next?

The next stage of the project for our KS2 schools will involve a biodiversity trip to the Belfast hills and will culminate in a graduation ceremony held on our newly opened Belfast campus on York Street.

The KS3 workshops are still to take place.

* The word “terrarium” means “enclosed earth” in Latin.