First Academy in North Ghana!

The Plant-for-the-Planet Academy took place in Salaga, which is located in the Northern Region. It has been our first Academy in the district. The venue was arranged by the two supporting teachers, which we had engaged as volunteers.  By 9:00 am all children were represented and the Academy started with the distribution of Plant-for-the-Planet branded T-shirts.

Special acknowledgement was given to the Assembly members, the teachers and parents for the level of seriousness they attached to the program and ensuring that the children were present and attended.

We also salute the team of local organizers. Special thanks go to Plant-for-the-Planet lead Program Coordinator Mohammed Rabiu Dannakabu and the Academy organizer Mr. Adam Mikdad.

A welcome address was given by Adam Mikdad, afterwards the full attention of the children turned to the presentation "Now we children save the world!", delivered by Dzifa (Climate Justice Ambassador). The picture support we had from the slides especially made it very interesting and easier to understand.

After the presentation, there had been an opportunity, which was created for questions and clarifications. The children were apt with their questions and the appropriate responses were given. There were quite awakened to the reality of climate change after listening and seeing pictorial evidence in the presentation.

Eight Children were randomly selected and given 8 slides to come forward and present to other pupils, they did very well.

The ‘World Game’ module preceded the presentation in which children were divided into 8 smaller groups to learn about wealth distribution and global justice. The children distributed playing figures, candies and balloons on the world maps laid out on the floor as symbols of the world’s population, wealth and CO2 emissions respectively. Afterwards, the CO2-Emissions and wealth were distributed fairly, because everyone has equal rights.

One child from each school was selected to do the public speaking module; they were given the printed slides to practice a short version of the presentation that they had experienced at the start of the day. The moderator guided them on how to improve their presentation skills in the future.

Rests of the children were guided to write down their thoughts to a few questions. After collecting ideas, the school groups started working on the solutions. The ideas and solutions were presented in a clear manner: "What we want to do at our school? Who is responsible for which task? By when do we want to achieve our goals?"

Each group was represented by their leader, who step up in front to present quickly the ideas and solutions written down by their respective groups. It was amazing to hear their wonderful ideas!

Now it was time to practice the knowledge and plant trees!
The planting session was really interactive, the moderator explained how to plant trees and when the best time for this activity.  He also showed the children how to take care of planted saplings, to make sure they survive and absorb as much CO2 as possible.

In total we planted 65 trees. With the assistance and help of the teachers and Academy moderator, children placed the trees in prepared holes. The rest of the holes were prepared alongside under our supervision.

After hours of listening, learning and intensive interaction, the Academy came to an end. Aside the knowledge and exposure, all new Climate Justice Ambassadors took their Plant-for-the-Planet branded T-shirt they collected at the start of the day, a copy of the book Tree-by-Tree, a personalized certificate and a pack of food. Organizers and guests were very satisfied by the performance of the children. We gathered together and took group pictures with some depicting the caption “STOP TALKING, START PLANTING”.

The team at Plant-for-the-Planet would like to thank everyone who has contributed in diverse ways for the successful organizations of the Academy, special mentioned the local education authorities in the district and local chief.

Do you want to become a Climate Justice Ambassador? Enrol now for the next Academy in your Area here!

You can find more Photos of the Academies here.