EAA Foundation stressed the vital importance of teaching green skills to youth in underdeveloped countries in response to the urgent global climate problem.
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a well-known worldwide development and education foundation, stressed the vital importance of teaching green skills to youth in underdeveloped countries in response to the urgent global climate problem.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government held the 2023 MENA Climate Week in Riyadh, where this message was delivered. Politicians, practitioners, corporations, and members of civil society convened at the gathering to discuss global efforts and combat climate change tactics.
Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulla, the Executive Director of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a program under the EAA Foundation, addressed the delegates in a panel discussion centered on “Integrating Climate Change Education into the Education Systems in the MENA region”.
He emphasized that the impacts of climate change are being felt globally, from shifting weather patterns to rising sea levels. Al-Abdulla highlighted that nearly 90% of the world’s largest generation of youth, totaling 1.8 billion individuals aged 10-24, reside in developing countries. Despite contributing the least to climate change, they bear a disproportionate burden of its effects.
To address this challenge, EAA’s Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) program has embarked on a new mandate focused on Education for Climate Action. This initiative encompasses three main focus areas: Greening Learning, Greening Communities, and Greening Refugee Camps.
The aim is to integrate climate education into secondary school curricula, empower young people with the knowledge and skills for climate action in their communities, and equip refugee youth in camps to lead climate initiatives for sustainability.
Al-Abdulla emphasized, “Our belief is that when young individuals understand the issues, acquire green skills, and develop the values and attitudes necessary for climate action, they can become the driving force behind tangible change in their communities.”
ROTA’s approach to climate education places emphasis on cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral domains. It prioritizes the behavioral domain to encourage and empower youth to take effective climate actions based on their acquired knowledge and green skills.
These initiatives align with national and regional climate plans, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), supporting climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience as defined by the OECD.
ROTA–EAA Foundation conducts various global projects aimed at equipping youth with green skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes for sustainable living. For example, in Vietnam, ROTA collaborates with ActionAid to empower young community leaders in driving climate action.
Recently, ROTA–EAA Foundation launched the Green Youth 360 project in partnership with the Girl Child Network in Kenya. This project empowers youth in refugee camps with skills like tree planting, beekeeping, agriculture, environmental cleanup, and renewable energy, enabling them to tackle environmental challenges effectively.