Things Talk - global environmental education for children

- A global climate change platform for children

From the 7-18 December 2009, Denmark will be the hosting COP15, the 15th UN International Climate Change Conference

The education project Things Talk - Children, Climate and Waste Art, aims to provide children with a voice in the global climate change debate.

Things Talk creates a global platform where children can voice their ideas, worries and future dreams with regard to how climate changes affect the world they live in both globally and locally.

An educational course with waste
Things Talk is a worldwide climate change

educational project for children between 10-12 years old. School classes throughout the world will be invited to work with the subject of climate change for one to two weeks. The practical artistic starting point is waste and rubbish from the homes and neighbourhoods of the children, which will be collected and used in a creative course, where children create sculptures from waste.

The aim is to use art and the children’s imaginations to find new and surprising ways to relate to and learn about climate change issues. The classes will be required to relate to the past, present and future of the items they collect. What was the item used for? Why has it been thrown away? What significance will the item have in the waste art piece? What will happen to it in the future?

The teacher will make a connection between the waste aspect and the existing local environmental problems and global climate changes. In the last part of the working phase, the children will document their work through photos and short climate statements, which will be shared with children in other countries via the project website.

Fundamental concepts about art, climate and democracy
The educational project Things Talk is about how children, through an artistic and creative process, can relate critically to the huge challenges that environmental issues and climate changes present to the world. The project has three fundamental concepts, the artistic idea, the democratic idea and the green idea. The three concepts must be seen in context and are closely connected.