Pupils from church schools across the North East will have their voices heard in a show to be aired at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
The students, who attend Christ Church Primary School in Shieldfield, Cragside Primary School and Chollerton First School, worked with Newcastle University climate scientists/engineers and Cap-a-Pie theatre company to create a show about one of the biggest challenges of our time.
‘Climate Change Catastrophe!’ details what children think about climate change, highlighting their hopes, fears and ideas for the future.
Amy Lutton, a teacher at Christ Church Primary School, spoke on her student’s relationship with climate change: “Climate change is something that is interwoven throughout the curriculum and the children are also very aware of the issue.”
Created in partnership with Newcastle University’s School of Engineering, and with funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the video offers inspiring perspectives on climate change from primary school children, with help from climate scientists and engineers, and is performed by professional actors for an audience of all ages.
Amy added: “The project was an amazing opportunity for the children to learn about climate change with a scientific perspective. We conducted the project during lockdown, so it seems particularly special that the project has been so successful - it certainly lifted our spirits during a very tough time.”
Lyndsey Urwin-Clarke, a teacher at Cragside Primary School, said: “The children loved the creative and often humorous videos. They engaged in the videos and enjoyed completing the wide range of activities, such as diary writing and creating posters and diagrams. Key terminology was introduced and reinforced throughout the teaching and learning and the children were building upon and using the correct vocabulary.”
Artistic Director Brad McCormick explains why Cap-a-Pie wanted to make a show about the climate crisis: “Climate change will affect us all, but it’s the younger generation who will bear the brunt so we wanted to get children’s perspectives, to tap into their imagination as well as broadening their understanding of climate science and engineering solutions from people with real expertise.”
The video will be screened in the Green Zone at COP26 at 12.30pm on 12 November. The event will be live-streamed on the COP26 YouTube channel. The show is also available to watch as a free six-part online series from 1-21 November 2021, with an accompanying education pack and creative activities on the Cap-A-Pie website