Our Academies

• raise student’s awareness for questions concerning the climate crisis and global justice
• train students as young climate ambassadors who bring forward ideas and concrete plans to design our future
• offer children and adults the opportunity to become part of a global movement
• get successfully together children and adults from a range of fields (intergenerational cooperation)

Characteristics of Plant-for-the-Planet Academies

• children are taught by children
• children speak to adults and adults listen to them
• focusing on tree plant sessions as a first step
• participation of three to maximal five students from one school
• climate ambassador- package containing information to intensify ones knowledge on the experience
• free attendance

Children teaching children

On Plant-for-the-Planet Academies children between the age of 10-  12 are taught by other children. Those children who participate in Plant- for- the- Planet and who are already climate ambassadors present the objectives and ideas of Plant- for- the- Planet. Furthermore they impart the knowledge on the cause and the consequences of the climate crisis for humans, animals and plants. In the course of the academy the children experience global interconnections of the climate crisis by using interactive simulations which provide a playful way to learn. A rhetoric training helps the children to express their thoughts and ideas on the topic of the climate crisis in lectures and presentations. But talking alone isn’t going to stop the glaciers from melting! The planting sessions and the climate ambassador’s reports help the children to become aware of the urgency for change and motivate them to get active themselves. In the course of the academy the children already organise their first action under the motto: Stop talking. Start planting to raise student’s and adult’s awareness for questions concerning the climate crisis and global justice and to motivate them to get active. The student’s initiative Plant- for- the- Planet assumes children to be autonomously acting personalities who appropriate their world competently and actively. According to the empowerment approach, the focus of our children’s training to climate ambassadors is on the empowerment and personal responsibility of the children.

By giving lectures and doing activities the climate ambassadors show children of the same age and adults how important it is to get active to achieve justice concerning the climate.
The experience as a climate ambassador to be paid attention to especially from adults is unforgettable for the children and strengthens their self- confidence. Further it encourages them to take the future into their own hands. In turn this encourages us to offer more children the opportunity to be become climate ambassadors and to support them in their activities.
Plant- for- the- Planet ambassadors have already spoken in front of Kofi Annan, Al Gore, the EU- Parliament and the UN General Assembly.

The children of Plant- for- the- Planet focus consciously on planting trees. By planting trees they show how easy it is for everyone to make a sustainable improvement to our world. It take a quarter of an hour to plant a new tree, it takes a quarter of an hour to affect the world’s future positively.

Together we are strong!

At our academies children get to know other children of the same age and make friends with them. Our experience shows that it is advantageous for the group dynamic if not more than three to five students from each school participate in one of our academy. Besides this composition of students offers the children the opportunity to express their ideas in a first presentation in front of their classmates at their school.

Continuing learning

After having participated in one of our Plant-for-the-Planet Academies, every instructed climate ambassador receives detailed information and sources (books, DVDs) that offer incentives to deepen one’s knowledge. The information lays a great foundation for upcoming activities and lectures. These information and sources comprise the following: a Plant- for- the- Planet- t-shirt, books which deal with the climate crisis: Al- Gore “An Inconvenient Truth”, Jean Giono “The man Who Planted Trees”, Kristin Dow/ Thomas E. Downing “ The Atlas of Climate Change”, Maggie- Black/ Jannet King “The Atlas of Water”, DVDs, CD- Roms containing Power Point presentations and high quality brochures.