Teach the Future

Teach the Future is a youth-led campaign pushing for broad climate education in the UK, with specific branches in Scotland, England and Wales. It is formed by a volunteer base of students studying across England, Scotland and Wales at all levels of education - from secondary to tertiary - who believe that sustainability and climate change need to be taught across the curriculum, equipping generations to come with the skills and knowledge needed for the green jobs of the futures.[1]

Teach the Future
Teach the Future Campaign
Named afterThe 2nd UKSCN Demand
Formation12 October 2019
TypeCampaign
PurposeClimate education
Region
UK - specifically England, Scotland and Wales
Parent organization
UK Student Climate Network, Students Organising for Sustainability UK, Scottish Youth Climate Strike and the National Union of Students Scotland
SubsidiariesTeach the Future England
Teach the Future Scotland
Teach the Future Wales
Websitehttps://www.teachthefuture.uk

History

The Teach the Future campaign began as a demand of the UK Student Climate Network[2] and has been so since its formation in December 2018. From this, as it was a specialist area, the demand evolved into an individual campaign with the support of its parent organisations, Student Organising for Sustainability UK and UKSCN.[3]

The campaign was unveiled on 12 October 2019 at National Education Union's Climate Emergency Conference, in front of a room full of educational specialists and campaigners. Two days after the campaign unveiling, Teach the Future began a petition and gathered 7413 signatories

In the lead up to the General Election of December 2019, Teach the Future launched a campaign to improve climate crisis education policy in political party manifestos. The outcome of this was the Labour Party including a curriculum review and the Green Party of England and Wales specifically mentioning Teach the Future's English Climate Emergency Education Act in both of their respective manifestos.

In accordance to their third ask, the student volunteers and a professional legislative draftsperson drafted the first ever student written education bill in history[4] which has been supported by many Parliamentarians. Nadia Whittome supported the students in hosting a parliamentary reception to unveil this legislation to the Government by being their Parliamentary Sponsor;[5] this reception was held in the Houses of Parliament's Terrace Pavilion[6] on 26 February 2020 and had an attendance of over 150 politicians, educators, student campaigners, union representatives and supporters.

Asks

Teach the Future calls for 3 main asks from the government, in addition to a fourth which is only relevant to the Scottish campaign[7][8]

  1. A government-commissioned review into how the English/Scottish formal education system is preparing students for the climate emergency and ecological crisis
  2. The inclusion of the climate emergency and ecological crisis in English/Scottish teaching standards and training
  3. The enactment of an English Climate Emergency Education Bill - the first student written (draft) bill in history[9] - and a Scottish Climate and Biodiversity Emergency Education Act
    1. All education providers to teach the truth about the climate and ecological emergency;
    2. Teachers and lecturers to be retrained to do so;
    3. Help for educators in supporting pupils suffering from eco-anxiety;
    4. Increased outdoor education for students;
    5. Funding for youth-led climate and environmental social action and youth voice;
    6. Creation of more green vocational training;
    7. Retrofitting of all educational buildings to net-zero emissions by 2030.
  4. For there to be an increased priority for sustainability in school inspections and publicly influencing educational rankings (Scotland only)

Structure

Teach the Future is currently run by a team of 51 volunteers - spread across the nations of England and Scotland; in addition, the campaign employs 5 part-time student campaign coordinators, 1 seconded campaign manager from SOS-UK and 2 other SOS-UK staff members on small contract hours.

These volunteers organise through an online Slack workspace and aim to onboard new influxes of volunteers regularly.

Nations

Despite Teach the Future being an umbrella organisation, encompassing volunteers from across the United Kingdom, it is composed of three separate branches. These operate in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. The Welsh branch, while being set up, has not officially launched yet, it is planned to be launched ahead of the 2021 Senedd election. All three campaigns are heavily intertwined as they run similar devolved projects (or projects that are relevant in every nation), as well as having a fluid methodology whereby volunteers are able to assist in any working group that interests them.

International influence

The Teach the Future campaign aims to form an international network of climate education campaigns and has formed close ties with some, in the founding stages. Globally, it has made communication with multiple youth climate action groups, which has been facilitated through a staff member with the specific mandate of international outreach and support.

The UK-based campaign shares its name, however is not directly associated, with the Teach the Future Poland campaign – a branch of Młodzieżowy Strajk Klimatyczny (MSK).

Supporting organisations

The Teach the Future campaign is supported and endorsed by multiple national organisations focussing on areas such as youth representation, conservation and education system reform. They are:[10][11][12]

Ask for Evidence Action for Conservation AndBeyond ArboriCultural Association Architects Climate Action Network Ashden Trust Association of Colleges
The Association for Science Education Bioregional Black Environment Network British Youth Council Campaign Against Climate Change Carbon Free Group Carbon Literacy Project
Chartered Institute of Building Chartered Institute of Waste Management Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management Chester Zoo Climate Outreach Climate Stewards Country Trust
Campaign to Protect Rural England Earthwatch Europe Alliance For Sustainable Leadership in Education Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland Force of Nature FutureBuild Global Action Plan
Green Building Council UK Green Christian Green Schools Project Greenpeace UK HubBub Hard Rain Project The Harmony Project
Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment We Are IVE Institution of Civil Engineers International Tree Foundation Landscape Institution Leadership in Global Change Maintenant
Marine Conservation Society UK National Association fo Environmental Education National Education Union National Union of Students Place Alliance PlanBee Primary Engineer Programmes
Project Earth Rock Quakers Reboot the Future Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Society of Arts Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Save our Seas Saturdays SEEd Society for the Environment Solvos Sustainable Food Trust Statwars Swop It Up
Target4Green The Edge Thoughtbox Trees and Design Action Group University and College Union Urban Design Group Values Based Education
We Have the Power The Wildlife Trusts Woodcraft Folk Word Forest Organisation World's Largest Lesson XR Educators Young Climate Warriors
Young People's Trust for the Environment Operation Noah Student Christian Movement The Institution of Engineering and Technology #IWill

Key media

References
  1. "Teach the Future". Teach the Future. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. "Our demands". UK Student Climate Network. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. "Schools". UK Student Climate Network. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. "Climate Emergency Education Act - Teach the Future @ Sustainability". sustainability.nus.org.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. Team, NAEE Web (24 February 2020). "February 24th 2020". UK NAEE. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. Abel, Daniel (26 February 2020). "Educated people harms the environment, declares a student activist". English Forward. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. "Asks". Teach the Future. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. "UK Teens Tired Of Waiting For Climate Education, So They Drafted A Law To Require It". Wonkette. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  9. Tickle, Louise (11 February 2020). "Pupils draft their own climate bill as anxiety grows over lack of guidance for schools". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  10. Skuodas (UKSCN), Mary (29 February 2020). ""Young people deserve opportunities to make a difference and have their voices heard"". Teach the Future. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  11. Sweetman (UKSCN), Charlie (21 February 2020). "Supporting the Future with BYC". Teach the Future. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  12. member, N. E. U. (25 February 2020). "Teachers for climate crisis education reform". Teach the Future. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  13. Tickle, Louise (11 February 2020). "Pupils draft their own climate bill as anxiety grows over lack of guidance for schools". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  14. "Devizes eco teen takes on Westminster". This Is Wiltshire. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  15. "Interview: Teach the Future". The Word Forest Organisation. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  16. Burns, Judith (24 February 2020). "Prepare us for climate change, say pupils". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. "6 ways to bring climate change to the curriculum". Tes. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  18. "Young Quakers want climate crisis education". Quakers. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  19. Power, Amanda. "To prepare climate strikers for the future, we need to rewrite the history books". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. Moore, Becca (26 February 2020). "A Curriculum for the Climate Crisis". British Youth Council. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  21. "TEACH THE FUTURE ON CLIMATE CRISIS | Caroline Lucas". www.carolinelucas.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  22. Munn, Jonah. ""Education is key to tackling climate change" says city MP as he joins students in Parliament for Teach the Future". Stephen Morgan. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  23. "Students ask parliament to teach climate change issues in schools | The Student Room". www.thestudentroom.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  24. "'Unfit for Purpose': Students Seek to Take Climate Education Into Their Own Hands". DeSmog UK. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  25. "BBC One - Points West, Evening News, 26/02/2020". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  26. Power, Amanda. "Why we need to change the way we teach climate change". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  27. Elks, Sonia (27 February 2020). "Schools challenged to teach climate change as students join Greta Thunberg's strikes". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  28. Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Schools challenged to teach climate change as Greta strikes grow". news.trust.org. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  29. "Teenage climate activists Scarlett Westbrook and Joe Brindle go live on BBC Breakfast to talk about the Teach the Future campain". Vimeo. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
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