Faculty of Law, Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento, Italy
Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, Rome, Italy
Department of Human and Social Sciences, Bergamo University, Bergamo, Italy
Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Description
The Future Generation project was carried out from January 2022 to April 2022 in a large public school located in Rome (Italy), Liceo Newton.
The training course focused on presenting climate change and its effects on the environment, health, and sustainable development
The multidisciplinary training course followed different steps:
Trainers introduced themselves and shared how they became environmental activists. This first phase served to create a climate of trust and curiosity, which is crucial for stimulating student interest in climate change;
The environmental expert explained the key concepts of climate change and illustrated various aspects of the ongoing environmental crisis;
The psychologist facilitated the identification and recognition of negative and positive emotions aroused by climate change, with individual, pair, and small-group exercises.
Emotional reflexivity was promoted through group discussions after the students’ exposure to data on climate change and by writing movie scripts.
Students were divided into three small groups for this activity, and each group created a movie script on climate change, supervised by two community psychologists.
Following the creative phase and the presentation of the results through narration or dramatization, the groups were invited to reflect together on the movies, their content in regards to climate change, issues and strengths that emerged from the storylines, and the emotions that were evoked.
The second part of the Future Generation program consisted of a participatory workshop that enabled students to identify means of promoting a pro-sustainability approach and mentality within the school community.
Scope
Promote the culture of active citizenship and civic participation among students;
Promote environmental awareness;
Stimulate emotional reflexivity on climate change;
Understand which emotions are prevalent in relation to environmental awareness and their association with one’s intention to be involved in ecological movements;
Encourage the development of conscious environmental sustainability, pro-environmental behaviors, and environmentally sustainable lifestyles;
Develop ecological projects in the school community, creating a more sustainable community.
