The new initiative links young people aged 13 and above in different countries. It gets children and young people directly involved in bringing about change to lessen the impacts. Mike Graham, curatorial manager at World Museum Li

A ground-breaking schools project to raise awareness of climate change among young people using the latest communications technologies launched last week in Liverpool.

National Museums Liverpool has joined Plan UK, which helps children in the world’s poorest countries, for the campaign Make the Link, Be the Change.

The new initiative links young people aged 13 and above in different countries to explore and discuss the changing global climate. Participants examine local environmental impacts, contributing factors, behaviour change and partnerships using shared lesson plans, the Internet and video conferencing facilities.

The project connects students from 50 schools in North West England with 15 international schools from Africa, Asia and South America.

Mike Graham, curatorial manager at World Museum Liverpool, says:

“This is an exciting way to highlight the huge numbers of issues raised by changing climates. It gets children and young people directly involved in bringing about change to lessen the impacts.”

Make the Link, Be the Change is a one-year project for Key Stage 3/4 students when key questions will also be discussed in the classroom.

Classroom-based learning will take the form of 14 lesson plans and a series of case studies that have been developed specifically for this project and will be complemented by out-of-school work including essay writing, drawing, photography and sculpture representing the impact of climate change. Work created will be displayed at World Museum Liverpool and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) as part of the Children in a Changing Climate display.