UWE Bristol is launching a Climate Education Kick Off on November 1st, as part of which they will be delivering a “Climate Fresk” to interested students and staff to amplify the new Climate Education course.
In September 2023, UWE Bristol became the first university in the UK to introduce a free course about the climate emergency. The course was developed following a successful campaign led by two UWE Bristol students, arguing that every student at UWE Bristol should have climate education as part of their university experience.
Supported by the Students’ Union, they took their arguments to the University’s Vice-Chancellor who agreed to the development of the course. Professor Sir Steve West, Vice-Chancellor at UWE Bristol, said: “Climate change is real and it’s with us now – we’re already starting to see profound impacts on our biodiversity, our climate and on humanity. Now is the time to act and we need to do this in a purposeful way. […] I’m looking forward to seeing all our students and staff engaging with this excellent module to benefit from a deeper understanding of the issues and the actions we all need to take.”
“ Now is the time to act and we need to do this in a purposeful way. […] I’m looking forward to seeing all our students and staff engaging with this excellent module to benefit from a deeper understanding of the issues and the actions we all need to take.”
Professor Sir Steve West, Vice-Chancellor at UWE Bristol
The Climate Fresk workshop, which will be delivered in support of the Climate Education Course, is based on a collaborative card game where the participants create “a fresco”, hence “fresk”, which summarises the interconnected elements of climate change. The game helps spread climate literacy and is based upon fundamental principles of responding to the climate emergency, humanism and respect for science.
Climate Fresks are designed to engage and motivate, rather than creating despair or continuing inaction: in the 3-hour workshops groups are led through core concepts by an expert facilitator, finding the balance of complexity and comfort to maximise learning.
The Fresk is based on data from the reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Working Group 1, so the content is strictly from the best authority on climate change. The workshop sticks to solidly established scientific data on all issues.
A transformative learning model is used, where participants engage on the levels of “head, heart and hands”. This holistic approach leads to authentic experiences, deeper reflection, and a sense of belonging within the group.
The workshop will be delivered by UWE staff and students who have been trained by staff from the CIC Climate Clarity. The aim is to create a cascade of future workshops, with staff and students training others about climate change to inspire action.
The workshop will be delivered 12.30pm – 4pm on November 1st in 5X107 (Bristol Business School). Students and staff can sign up here. (Please note that, as this is an internal event, sign-in is required to validate access within UWE Bristol). For any questions, please contact Laura.Foggrogers@uwe.ac.uk.