A Decade
of
Climate
Justice Education
Pioneering intergenerational collaboration for climate justice education. The first large-scale study centering children and young people as climate researchers, now shaping global policy and practice.
PHILOSOPHICAL MANIFESTOS TO FILMS
NORTHERN NSW TO GLOBALINTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITYCITED IN THE IPCC SIXTH ASSESSMENT REPORT
In 2014, a groundbreaking idea took root
From a grassroots project in Northern NSW to global policy influence – discover how child and youth voices are reshaping climate education worldwide.
What if children and young people weren’t just taught about climate change, but became the researchers themselves?
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YEARS OF COLLABORATION
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climate Researchers
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Publications
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Exhibitions
CLIMATE CHANGE
ME (2014-PRESENT)
- START
1
2014-2016
Immersive fieldwork by 135 child and youth researchers. Co-production of travelling exhibition and climate change curriculum (primary and secondary)
2
2017–2021
Publication of child and youth research in journals and international handbook and Co-design and launch of the Climate Action Adventure! App
3
2020-2024
Writing and publishing our co-authored book and Floods and Me: child and youth narratives of climate disaster and recovery
- PRESENT
Our Research Playspaces
What Made This Different
Instead of traditional teaching methods, we created “research playspaces” – environments where children could explore complex theories through relational dialogue and creative play. The work that emerged ranged from scientific analyses to philosophical manifestos, ethnographic studies, experimental films, and illustrated speculative fiction. Children interviewed trees, rocks, and dogs, investigating inter-species perspectives on climate change.
Recognition from government reviewers, educators, and students
Research That Changes Everything
GLOBAL REACH, LOCAL ROOTS
From grassroots innovation to international influence – our research is shaping how climate education is taught, experienced, and enacted across the world. What began as a local response has grown into a model for intergenerational climate leadership and policy impact.
IPCC Recognition
Cited in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report as a critical step toward bringing young people’s political voice to global climate discussions.
UNESCO Policy Impact
Published Research
Global Exhibitions
Methodology Innovation
Intergenerational Model
Based in Australia, our team began with a bold idea: climate research should not only be about young people, but led by them. In practice, this simple idea became something much deeper — a powerful reimagining of what climate education is and who it’s for. 10 years our model is helping shape global conversations on justice, resilience, and youth leadership.
This is a rare approach. Through ongoing, long-term research, young people are placed at the centre of shaping climate futures. The work is grounded in intergenerational collaboration, where children, youth, and adults learn from one another to build more just and sustainable responses to the climate crisis.
REVOLUTIONARY CURRICULUM DESIGN
Our evidence-based approach transforms how young people engage with climate change, moving beyond traditional teaching to create empowered researchers and critical thinkers.
Student Inquiry
Students become active researchers and investigators
Ethical Thinking
Development of critical and ethical thinking skills
Creative Expression
Integration of imagination and personal expression
Critical Dialogue
Higher order questioning, discussion and debate
Global Citizenship
Cultivation of responsible global citizenship
Collaborative Learning
Collective inquiry processes designed for young learners
Research That Changes Everything
Explore
Methodology Innovation
First child- and youth-framed climate research methodology, creating “research playspaces” for collaborative inquiry.
Connect
Climate Child Imaginaries
Developing new theoretical frameworks that center children’s perspectives on climate change and the Anthropocene.
Create
Intergenerational Solidarity
Building bridges between generations through collaborative research, art, and activism for climate justice.
Curriculum
Evidence-Based Resources
Creating validated curriculum resources that provide teachers with specific guidance for climate education implementation.
Climate Change and Me Curriculum
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The Changes: art, writing and research by student researchers in the Climate Change and Me project
From local innovation to global recognition - our work now shapes climate education policy and practice worldwide.
From local classrooms to global forums, our youth-led model now informs climate education policy worldwide. By centring young voices, we help shape more just, inclusive, and future-focused approaches to climate action.
IPCC Recognition
Cited in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report as a critical step toward bringing young people's political voice to global climate discussions.
Published Research
"Posthuman Research Playspaces: Climate Child Imaginaries" - the first long-form publication of our methodological contributions.
Methodology Innovation
Established new frameworks for child- and youth-framed research, community engagement, and climate action.
UNESCO Policy Impact
Referenced in UNESCO's Futures of Education report and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change documentation.
Global Exhibitions
Children's work showcased in curated exhibitions, digital platforms, and peer-reviewed publications worldwide.
Intergenerational Model
Created sustainable frameworks for collaboration across generations that continue to influence climate movements.
Our Vision Forward
The world is different now than it was ten years ago.
Climate change has accelerated, and intergenerational tensions have increased. But so has our understanding of what works. We’re taking the lessons learned from our pioneering work and scaling them to meet current global challenges.
Today’s children face even greater climatological precarity. Our next phase focuses on research and creative practice in climate impact zones, developing counter-narratives to climate denial, and creating more compelling stories for climate action.
Where Are We Going?
Building on a decade of innovation, we’re expanding intergenerational collaboration models globally and developing new pathways for climate justice education.
One project sparked exhibitions, publications, and global policy change
Voices Across Time
Hear from the young researchers who started this journey.
Our Intergenerational Team
02/OUR TEAM
From children to researchers – voices spanning over a decade of collaboration in climate justice education
Prof Amy Cutter
Project Leader
Dr. David
Co-Project Leader
Dr. Maia
postdoctoral research fellow
Dr. Helen
Research Fellow
Dr Thilinika
Research Fellow
The Original Researchers
Started as children aged 9-14, now 20-23 years old and continuing their climate advocacy
Collaborating Researchers
Contemporary voices advancing climate justice education and research
Our Partners
Our Trusted Partners.
Building on a decade of innovation, we’re expanding intergenerational collaboration models globally and developing new pathways for climate justice education.
