The Health Impact of Climate Change – IFMSA-Poland

Name of the activity: The Health Impact of Climate Change

Country/NMO: IFMSA-Poland

Program: Environment and Health

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Education

Focus area: Climate Change

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 13 (Climate Action)

Problem statement:

Climate Change is one of the most pressing and urgent issues of the day, leaving us with no time to spare. A comprehensive global action to curb GHG emissions calls for international agreements on how to go forward and leave no country or community behind. In certain parts of the world, like Eastern Europe, awareness of climate emergency is extremely low, therefore a comprehensive educational effort is needed to close the gaps within the school curriculum for elementary and high school students

Target groups:

• General population
• Children
• Youth
• People with disabilities

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Children
• Youth
• People with disabilities

Objectives:

1. Raise awareness of 500 primary/secondary students in Poland concerning the urgency of the approaching climate emergency through interactive in-person or remote lessons by June 2022
2. Increase the knowledge of 500 primary/secondary students in Poland concerning the health impact of climate change, both in terms of current global events and future projections, through a mid-lesson quiz, by June 2022.
3. Build up the skills of 500 primary/secondary students in Poland within the scope of spotting misinformation about the veracity and immediacy of climate change and recognizing reliable media and scientific sources, by June 2022

Indicators of Success:

1. At least 400 (80%) of the primary/secondary school students in Poland (who took part in the activity) will have indicated in the evaluation form that their knowledge concerning the urgency of the approaching climate emergency had increased.
2. At least 400 (80%) of the primary/secondary school students in Poland (who took part in the activity) will have indicated that they can name at least three ways in which climate change can have an impact on human health or healthcare systems
3. At least 400 (80%) of the primary/secondary school students in Poland (who took part in the activity) will have indicated that they feel more confident about telling apart reliable and unreliable sources regarding climate change messaging

Methodology:

“The Health Impact of Climate Change” is an educational project with primary and secondary school students as our main target group. Lessons are being designed to fit into the 45-minute time limit due to how schools in Poland operate. During the lesson, multiple topics are being raised (origin of climate change and past disproven theories, CDs, NCDs, impact on healthcare systems, sea level rise etc.). We strive to make the activity as interactive as possible – multiple side tools are being shared with our volunteers, including quiz questions for Kahoot. Every volunteer is being trained on the topic by the NPC, LPC  and/or the PC EH (who happens to be our NPO as well). At the moment, we work to include other social groups, including people with disabilities, so as not to become stuck with one demographic and target all levels of society. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some lessons need to take place remotely, even if the class is present in-person.

Plans for evaluation:

Before and after each lesson, every participant is provided with a QR code linking them to a short pre- and post-evaluation form. Our experience suggests that long forms discourage participation and therefore we only ask several short questions with no need to write in any opinions if they choose not to (non-obligatory form questions). Approx. 80% of participants fully participate in this evaluation. Local Project Coordinators are responsible for assessing whether volunteers are ready to facilitate and local trainings are mandatory for everyone. Quality can also be assessed through the evaluation forms since they are separate for every LC – this is a scheme that we are introducing this term for all Peer Education projects. The questions are related to the indicators of success, but rely mainly on self-declaration by the participants. Facilitators are encouraged to ask open questions to the groups to check, mid-lesson, whether certain aspects are clear or not. 

External collaborations:

none