Colour Me … Hopeful
Jock MacKenzie
What teacher John Whidden observed in his classroom was alarming . The way his students thought about climate change was adversely affecting their lives .
Being particularly environmentally conscious himself , he questioned if it was just his own bias that was affecting his point of view . John sought answers through research — and he was right . It wasn ’ t simply his bias .
Of course , results varied . Overall , urban students were more concerned than rural students ; European studies showed more astounding numbers than Canadian ones . In one study , students were described as “ incredibly worried — afraid , sad , angry , helpless , powerless , guilty .” In another study , many respondents felt that humanity is doomed . Bottom line : anxiety about climate change is significant in all youth .
What to do ? John set out to create a classroom project where his students could discover the reality of climate change for themselves . Without going into the specifics , he designed a program where his students discovered through science that climate change is real and that we are a big part of the problem . Next , his students created and shared a project that showed that something could be done .
By becoming directly involved , students began to feel they were making a difference and that a positive outcome was possible .
Because the project within his classroom had been successful , John packaged the concept and made it available to others . Still , a wider audience awaited .
As the saying suggests , “ Whether you think you can or think you can ’ t — you ’ re right .” John continued his work to involve youth with a podcast he has dubbed “ Climate Action Figures .”
I first heard about John and his podcast on CBC radio and was intrigued . It ’ s available on Apple , Spotify , Amazon , and YouTube .
Watching several episodes , I was immediately captivated . The first thing I appreciated was the consistent format . On each show , the main guest both opens and closes the program . The next step is a “ Quick Fix ” sent in by a listener . The main body of the weekly podcast varies according to the amount of content that John deems suitable and the whole episode
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