University and Turkish educators unite to combat climate crisis

The University of Northampton (UON) is spearheading an 18-month initiative to train Turkey’s next generation of teachers in green skills and ecological resilience.

Backed by £80,000 from the British Council’s International Science Partnership Fund, the project seeks to empower up to 10,000 teachers in Turkey with innovative teaching methods which can help their students grasp the urgency of the climate emergency and equip them with the tools and values needed to build a sustainable and resilient future.

The collaboration brings together experts from UON’s Institute for Social Innovation and Impact (ISII), led by Professor Richard Hazenberg, and Turkey’s Eğitim Reformu Girişimi (ERG), a leading education think tank.
Professor Hazenberg said: “This initiative aims to create a lasting impact by building resilience among teachers and students.

“It fosters UK-Turkey dialogue and collaboration, integrating critical environmental competencies into educational frameworks and civil society.”

The project will also generate teacher training materials, policy recommendations for Turkey’s Ministry of Education, and research papers on integrating green skills into education.

Dr. Ecem Karlıdağ-Dennis, ISII Senior Researcher, and Lancaster University’s Dr. Melis Cin will support the UK team. The Turkish team, led by Burcu Meltem Arık from ERG, will oversee implementation of the project by drawing upon their extensive teacher network.

For more information, visit University of Northampton’s website.