Six schools from Galway travelled to Belfast last week for a ground-breaking conference on climate change hosted by peacebuilding charity Co-operation Ireland and supported by e-learning platform Alison.
Galway Community College, St Brigid’s Loughrea, Coláiste an Chreagáin and St Paul’s Secondary School Oughterard were represented at the All Island Schools 4 Climate Action event which heard from speakers about how young people can help to tackle the climate emergency.
Since September 2022, schools have been engaged in environmental science courses, provided by Alison, covering a range of topics.
These have included the Circular Economy, Biodiversity, Water Pollution, Energy and Sustainable Transport.
Following completion of the online courses, schools will start student-led climate action projects supported by Co-operation Ireland, to create change in local communities across the island.
Environmental broadcaster and host of the RTÉ EcoEye Series, Duncan Stewart, who was one of the speakers at the conference, said that it is critical that the climate crisis is addressed urgently.
“Education is our most powerful way to achieve change. I’m delighted to be part of this important programme, which is equipping students to be agents of change in shaping a more sustainable society, through environmental education and social action training,” he said.
Co-founders of the AIS4CA programme and lead conference organisers, Andrew McAnallen and Morgan O’Toole, said they are incredibly proud that the All-island Schools 4 Climate Action programme has offered schools across the island an opportunity to connect, share ideas and take collective action to tackle the climate emergency.
“We’re connecting schools on a North/South basis, whilst also breaking down barriers in Northern Ireland through enhancing Shared Education partnerships.
“There’s a strong appetite with schools to network and engage across the island and our team at Co-operation Ireland will be focused on expanding the amount of schools involved in the year ahead.”
