ClimateQuest: A Key Opportunity for our Children
More than 500 colleges nationwide have student groups and campus committees taking action on climate change (see www.climatechallenge.org). At the same time, only a handful of high schools are taking on the issue either in the classroom or through student leadership. ClimateQuest is an opportunity to bridge the gap between high schools and colleges by bringing high school students onto college campuses to interact with college mentors and professors while they learn about climate change.
The key components of the program include:
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Climate change curriculum (science, policy, technology) taught by a
college instructor on a college campus to high school students
entering their junior and senior years. One example: http://www.sonoma.edu/users/f/freidel/global/207climatequest.html
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Direct teaching involvement by college student mentors already
actively involved in the burgeoning campus climate movement. Their
role is to lead the "solutions" part of the curriculum,
sharing their work on campuses and playing an active role in the high
school students' field projects in their local communities.
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Field reporting through video the voice connecting American youth.
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A national Internet site that creates a virtual youth center for
comparing summer projects across America. On the site the videos of
projects nationwide can be viewed and discussed.
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While these programs are tuition-based, ClimateQuest will provide
financial and professional assistance where required for scholarships,
video equipment and financial support for institutions who can document
need.