Puebla starts planting!

The first Academy in Puebla, México took place on December 6th, 2019 with 56 children from 7 different schools, keenly waiting for the Academy to start. The event was free-of-charge for all the attending children, aged from 8 to 14. It was possible thanks to Plant-for-the-Planet México and El Colegio Activo México which help us with all the organization process.

The Academy began with some welcoming words of Darinka from Plant-for-the-Planet, she told the children about her commitment to work with them and to plant trees for their city. Then the full attention of the children turned to the presentation “Now we children save the world!” given by Climate Justice Ambassador Darinka. Complex topics, such as sources of CO2, global warming, photosynthesis, the climate crisis and global justice were presented in a suitable way for children. After the presentation, the participants had the chance to clarify their questions. All the children participated in our answer-question session. After it, the  children got into an body moving activity!

After a short break, the children had the opportunity to take action for their future right away. In order to take action and speak up for their future, the children need good presentation and speaking skills. Therefore the participants prepared and presented short passages from the opening presentation they had listened to in the morning. They gave each other feedback on how to improve their presentations in the future.

Furthermore, we created 2 teams with one moderator in it, who played the World Game with the participants. It was a great moment for the activity.

Besides, we created another 4 teams in which the children got the chance to create action plans to enhance the ecological situation in their communities. The main ideas were to save the water, plant trees and empower other children. During this activity the participants were brainstorming ideas on how to get the attention of the media, how to motivate adults, friends and classmates and how to organize a planting party. Afterwards the children gathered in their school groups and planned their own projects, which they would want to implement after the Academy.

At the end of the day, family, friends and guests arrived for the evening event. The children proudly presented the prepared presentation and their ideas from the World Café.

An interesting day had came to an end. Apart from the experience and newly found knowledge, all participants were graduated as Climate Justice Ambassadors and received a certificate, a Plant-for-the-Planet T-shirt and the book ‘Tree-by-Tree’. Just to finish the day all of us went to plant trees! In addition, the new Climate Justice Ambassadors recieved information on how to plant trees, when to plant them and how to take care of them. In return, the participants were able to show off their newly gained knowledge about the role and importance of trees. In total they planted 4 tree species. The children finished the planting event with a magnificent Stop Talking, Start Planting video made at the school.

The Academy was made possible thanks to the commitment of El Colegio Activo México and its professor José Luis Vallejo, who received us in their place and due to the team of local organisers. Special thanks goes to the Plant-for-the-Planet Programme Coordinator Darinka Quintal and also to Rodrigo, Ari, Daniela, Gisselle and Nicolás (last one from Colombia) as co-moderators for the Academy. A huge thanks to all the helpers around the venue for the provision of the technology and the food. A special thanks goes to Tania and her family which help us during tree planting session. Without their support the Academy would not have been possible.

All photos taken can be downloaded here

Do you want to become a Climate Justice Ambassador yourself? Register for an upcoming Academy here.