Through funding from the United Way Worldwide Community Resiliency Innovation Grant, we successfully implemented a Pilot Climate Education Programme across primary schools, delivered in partnership with IAMovement, an environmental NGO.
This initiative responded to the increasing vulnerability of Trinidad and Tobago to climate-related risks, including flooding, coastal erosion, and extreme weather
Recognising that early education is critical to long-term resilience, the programme aimed at equipping young students, teachers, and communities with practical knowledge and tools to understand and respond to climate change.
The programme was supported by key stakeholders, including schools, teachers, and environmental agencies.
Through the United Way Worldwide Community Resiliency Innovation Grant, UWTT secured US$25,000 to pilot this initiative, creating a scalable model for integrating climate education into primary school systems while strengthening community resilience.
The programme was designed to address a key gap: limited access to practical, solution-oriented climate education for young people.
We achieved this through—
- Embedding climate awareness into early education
- Linking schools to community resilience strategies
- Promoting behaviour change at the household level through children
Climate Talks
IAMovement engaged 15 schools and 739 students for Climate Talks workshops. The workshops were designed to take the complex climate science concepts and distil the basic building blocks into a digestible, fun and engaging learning environment, building foundational climate awareness among primary-aged children.
Earth Hero Challenge
The initiative included an art competition to allow students to express their creativity regarding environmental initiatives as part of the selection process for the Climate Champion Training Day. There were two age groups – Infants (5 - 6 years) and Standard 1 -2 (7 - 8 years). After each Climate Talk, students had two weeks to submit their art work.
Teacher Training
IAMovement conducted virtual teacher workshops to engage teachers whose classes participated in the Climate Talks. The sessions are meant to share practical tips on educating their students on Climate Change and the environment to ensure the sustainability of the Climate Talks. 9 teachers attended the session. The session presented the key terms and concepts of Climate Change to aid teachers in educating students with accompanying resources necessary for in-class execution.
Climate Champions Training Day
There were two Climate Champion Training Days, bringing together 17 students at IAMovement's Tree Nursery Location. The Training Days built on foundational climate change knowledge, introduced other environmental aspects such as biodiversity, and supported hands-on training activities. The days also engaged other environmental and sustainability organisations such as the Environmental Management Authority, Birds Caribbean, Terrarium Crew TT, and Ecovybz TT.