From Youth Awareness to Action: The Case of The EIT Climate-KIC Young Innovators Program in Cyprus. In United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Report
Date Issued
September 2022
Author(s)
Abstract
Sowing the seeds of ESD in K-12 school systems has been pivotal in creating the student move-
ment of ‘climate strikes’ that have dominated international news across the globe. Students
across Europe and the globe are aware of the climate emergency and are taking to the streets
to demand action. Moving from awareness to action, Young Innovators, a pioneering program
launched by EIT Climate-KIC, aims to empower young people to use systems thinking and
climate innovation approaches in order to contribute to local and regional challenges faced
by their community. The implementation of the pilot in high schools (12-18 year olds) in the
Republic of Cyprus in 2020 is presented here, highlighting the effect this intervention had
on teachers and students alike, as well as lessons learned for scaling up the program across
ESD-related curricula in Cyprus.
ment of ‘climate strikes’ that have dominated international news across the globe. Students
across Europe and the globe are aware of the climate emergency and are taking to the streets
to demand action. Moving from awareness to action, Young Innovators, a pioneering program
launched by EIT Climate-KIC, aims to empower young people to use systems thinking and
climate innovation approaches in order to contribute to local and regional challenges faced
by their community. The implementation of the pilot in high schools (12-18 year olds) in the
Republic of Cyprus in 2020 is presented here, highlighting the effect this intervention had
on teachers and students alike, as well as lessons learned for scaling up the program across
ESD-related curricula in Cyprus.