Global Challenges, Local Narratives: Exploring the Role Stories Play in Climate Change Communication

This case study explores the complexities and possibilities of informal climate change education. Climate change is not always included in formal education curriculum, and teachers in formal education settings are not always equipped to address the complexities of climate change. However, that does not mean that students are unaware of climate change. On the contrary, young people globally are highly aware, concerned, and eager to learn about climate issues.

Students are often excluded from decisions about their own learning. Teachers, often constrained by the boundaries of curriculum and assessment, set the boundaries of learning in formal education settings. Unfortunately, this can leave gaps around issues that students care about, such as climate change.

This multi-step, multi-method case study used ethnographic methods, narrative inquiry, and action research to position students as owners of their own learning. The students all have direct experience with the socio-economic and environmental impacts of climate change. However, they did not feel able to engage in conversations about climate change outside of their immediate peer group.