Creative Play Powers Climate Leadership in Limerick Pilot

A new climate action initiative led by the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick is using art and play to help primary school children develop the skills needed to become climate leaders.

The Climate Leadership through Nature’s Canvas project, led by Dr Mary Curtin, Dr Jean McCarthy and Dr Christina O’Connor, was developed in response to the need to foster climate leadership among young people so that they can actively address and advocate for solutions to climate change.

The pilot programme will begin at Monaleen National School in September and will offer pupils, their teachers and families the chance to develop leadership skills through creative activities. Organisers say the approach encourages participants to explore, create and lead, with the aim of helping them become active citizens and advocates for climate justice.

Dr Curtin said scientific evidence showed that children and young people would bear a disproportionate share of the burden of climate change. “They hold a unique position within their families, their schools and wider communities to promote pro-environmental behavioural change,” she said. “This youngest generation are therefore not just passive victims of climate impacts; they are potential catalysts for change, so it is critical that we develop climate leadership skills among children and young people as soon as possible.”

Dr McCarthy said that while primary schools were increasingly supported by national policies to embed sustainability education, research showed there was frustration among learners worldwide about the adequacy of climate topics in the curriculum. “Children possess powerful agency to drive awareness and action. By combining education, empowerment and action in age-appropriate ways, we can help children become informed, responsible and proactive members of their communities,” she said.

Dr O’Connor said that as pupils explored issues such as pollution, deforestation and resource overuse through art, they would gain a deeper awareness of the challenges associated with climate change. “By participating in this project, they will also develop important leadership capabilities, such as self-awareness, collaboration and communication, and learn how to share ideas, listen to others and find ways to compromise and influence in group settings,” she said.