Emilys Post
Research for chosen project
Target
Teens aged 14-18
Teaching them about the environment, recycling and how to upcycle and sew using old clothes and fabrics.
Workshops and helpful videos and tips to follow
Educating in a responsible and non scary way
How to teach teens about shopping sustainability and climate change
Things to remember-
We don’t want to worry them or make them anxious
Educate teens in an informative but fun way so they understand better
Emphasis on things teens can understand like animals and nature and looking out for their own future, keeping things light hearted at the same time.
Definition of sustainability for teens
Small changes we can make every day that help us to look after the planet, in order to help protect the plants and animals in the world so the future generations will be able to enjoy them.
Speaking about climate change with teens can make them feel extremely anxious, scared and upset, so it’s important to try and talk about it with enthusiasm and positivity, as well as highlighting its seriousness so they understand how important it is to look after the planet.
Teens may feel hopeless and helpless when they know what is happening to the planet so it’s important they are aware of the things they can do which help towards having a more sustainable and climate change free planet.
Teach children about recycling and how important it is.
First explain to teens why we recycle things-
All of the rubbish like plastic and paper and glass would end up in landfill being left for many years to be able to break down, if we didn’t recycle and kept making more and more plastic and glass eventually the whole world would be covered in rubbish.
By recycling we melt down and reuse our old rubbish and turn it into new things so we aren’t creating more waste.
Upcycling is also something to encourage teens to do. There are many simple and quick upcycling things that teens can do with their old clothes, even as simple as turning a pair of jeans into shorts or patchworking holes in old clothes. All these small actions all make an impact on a bigger issue. Small steps lead to big jumps.
Basic facts of climate change for teens
Climate change can be overwhelming for young people, so its important to give them to basic facts and keep it simple-
“Humans are burning lots and lots of fossil fuels for energy, in planes, in cars, to light our houses, and that’s putting greenhouse gases into the air. Those gases wrap around the planet like a blanket and make everything hotter.
A hotter planet means bigger storms, it melts ice at the poles so oceans will rise, it makes it harder for animals to find places to live.
And it’s a really, really big problem, and there are a lot of smart people working hard on it, and there’s also lots that we can do as a family to help.”