About the Workshops
Phase 4 provides complimentary educational workshops for children in Key Stage 2 (KS2), focusing on P6 and P7 pupils. Five Belfast primary schools will each receive three workshops, making a total of fifteen workshops. We will conduct two more workshops on Rathlin Island.
Each participating Belfast school will receive three in-person workshops that take place within the schools. These workshops will combine theory and practice to teach students about climate change, sustainability, global warming’s impact, the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), built environments, and biodiversity loss.
Workshops centre around a pair of activities: one art-based, one poetry-based, both tied to a common theme. Alongside these art and poetry activities, the workshops feature a range of interactive elements, videos and practical exercises. The goal of these workshops is to provide KS2 schoolchildren with a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues, foster a sense of connection to their local communities, and empower them with practical, everyday actions they can take to make a difference. The workshops aim to foster in students a deep sense of responsibility not only for their immediate communities but also for the broader environment, hoping to cultivate a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship and civic engagement.
At the end of the three-week Architects of Change programme, each pupil will receive a certificate as a testament to their successful completion of the course.
The Aims
At Architects of Change, we firmly believe that the younger generations hold the key to shaping a sustainable future, a future that hinges on their active participation and innovative ideas. In support of the UK’s 2050 net-zero target, these workshops engage Northern Irish schoolchildren, educating them on the causes and effects of climate change and exploring practical solutions. These workshops inspire children to brainstorm solutions to environmental problems and envision themselves as agents of change.
In the Architects of Change Phase 4 programme, the focus is on cultivating a strong sense of place and community among children; this involves fostering their understanding and appreciation of their local areas and inspiring them to adopt environmental stewardship practices in their homes, schools, and broader communities, thus integrating these practices into their daily lives.
Workshop Content
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Workshop 1: Introduction to Architects of Change
An introductory workshop on climate change which highlights consequences of rising temperatures and outlines the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). After viewing a short video explaining the 17 SDGs, the children take part in a discussion about the meaning, significance, and relevance of these goals.
Activity 1: Celebrate Nature through Poetry
The activity starts with a nature-themed poetry session where children explore their personal connection to nature, discuss local natural areas, and read poems by different poets. Inspired by the poets’ works, students are encouraged to write their own poems about nature, expressing its personal significance and the feelings it evokes.
Activity 2: Create your own Superhero
The second activity begins by discussing different environmental issues, including the melting of polar ice caps and marine plastic pollution. We inspire children to be imaginative and develop their own superheroes, each with powers to address a specific ecological problem. For example, a superhero that can freeze water to create new habitats for penguins and polar bears.
Learning Outcomes
Pupils will understand climate issues and comprehend the effects of human activity on the planet and natural resources. Pupils will grasp the United Kingdom’s net zero agenda, be able to identify local nature areas, and imagine potential solutions for individual climate issues.
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Workshop 2: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
This workshop examines the environmental consequences of human consumption and overconsumption. We talk to the students about everyday things that cause pollution, like plastic bottles, disposable batteries, and plastic bags, and their eco-friendly replacements: reusable bottles, rechargeable batteries, and reusable shopping bags.
Activity 1: Blackout Poetry
By obscuring large portions of existing text from sources such as newspapers, books, or poems, blackout poetry creates new poems from what remains. In short, the blackout poetry recycles language and pre-existing works.
The schoolchildren are shown a variety of examples by established poets and examples created by the project lead. Two age-appropriate news stories are offered to children; one focuses on marine plastics and turtles, the other on rainforest deforestation. The pupils have the choice of which news articles they would like to use to create their blackout poetry. Once students have chosen and read their materials, they use pens and markers to circle words to make poems, decorating the rest of the page.
Activity 2: Create a Collage
Pupils construct nature-themed collages from a variety of recycled materials, including magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, and tissue paper. The children’s artwork creatively repurposes unwanted materials, embodying the principles of reduce and reuse. Children are encouraged to recreate a place in nature that they have a strong connection to, such as their granny’s garden, their favourite park, or a seasonal time of year.
Learning Outcomes
Children comprehend the cycle of consumption and its negative environmental impact. The schoolchildren can recognise and implement impactful strategies to curb overconsumption and waste within their schools, homes, and communities.
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Workshop 3: Biodiversity
This workshop teaches schoolchildren about the concept of biodiversity, emphasising its importance and exploring practical ways in which they can contribute to mitigating its loss. The workshop starts with a discussion about shared spaces, prompting children to consider the creatures living in their local environment and human-made areas. To foster coexistence between the community and wildlife, we explored projects schoolchildren could undertake: mini-meadow planting, promoting No Mow May, community cleanups, and constructing insect hotels.
During the workshop, the children receive a set of flashcards illustrating twelve animals indigenous to Northern Ireland (a mix of birds, mammals, insects, and marine life). The flashcards provide details about each animal, including their habitat and diet, whether they are endangered and other key facts. Participants then choose one local animal to study for the workshop.
Activity 1: Create an Animal Mask
With their selected animals in mind and using the flashcards as a guide, the schoolchildren employ paper plates, construction paper, felt, markers, and an assortment of other craft materials to construct paper masks representing their chosen animals.
Activity 2: Writing Poems through an Animal’s Point of View
Building on the animal mask activity, we discuss the difficulties animals encounter living in human-made environments with the children. We inspire children to understand their animal’s perspective, imagining their feelings, thoughts, and how they might face challenges.
To inspire creativity, the class will hear poems that take an animal’s viewpoint read aloud; afterward, the students will write their own original works. They are encouraged to tap into their creativity and sensory experiences, using personal pronouns to fully inhabit and explore the life of their chosen creature.
Learning Outcomes
By participating in this workshop, pupils will gain a deeper understanding of biodiversity and learn that their local communities are far more complex and diverse than they may initially realise, encompassing a far wider range of life than just their immediate neighbours. These activities are designed to foster empathy in children towards wildlife, prompting reflection on both the detrimental and beneficial impacts of human actions. This workshop encourages children to become stewards of their communities and environments.