By Barbara Grazzini
On June 11th, GAP International hosted a Deep Dive event led by Marilyn Mehlmann, Charlotte Karlsson, and Olena Zarichna from Legacy17, who introduced us to the European project CLARITY, where they are partners. The event was very successful and actively involved 12 representatives from 8 GAPI member countries.
The CLARITY project focuses on a very important and delicate topic: how the climate crisis affects the emotions of children and young students. Usually, environmental education only shares data and worrying statistics. This can make young people feel anxious, helpless, or indifferent. The CLARITY toolkit offers a practical and creative way to welcome these emotions and turn them into resilience, collaboration, and real action for the future. During the webinar, Lotten, Marylin and Olena explained how to help students give a name to what they feel, using simple tools that anyone can use.
The CLARITY project focuses on a very important and delicate topic: how the climate crisis affects the emotions of children and young students. Usually, environmental education only shares data and worrying statistics. This can make young people feel anxious, helpless, or indifferent. The CLARITY toolkit offers a practical and creative way to welcome these emotions and turn them into resilience, collaboration, and real action for the future. During the webinar, Lotten, Marylin and Olena explained how to help students give a name to what they feel, using simple tools that anyone can use.
Participants took part in an open dialogue, especially during the discussions in the breakout rooms. In these small groups, everyone could freely share their feelings and think about how emotions work in the classroom. One of the most important ideas was about student apathy. The event helped us understand that when young people seem not to care, it is often just a protective shield. It is a psychological defence that happens when worry about the planet becomes too heavy to carry. The event ended with a moment of sharing and a gratitude exercise, where participants created a virtual map of the small everyday things that give them joy and energy.
The feedback forms confirm that the event was a great success. Almost all participants were very satisfied and plan to use the CLARITY tools in their own schools or organizations. Many said it was wonderful to share their feelings openly with colleagues from other countries. We also described the Climate Emotions Wheel as an excellent tool for classrooms and for internal staff meetings. In conclusion, general feedback shows that bringing emotional intelligence into climate conversations is now an essential step that everyone is waiting for.
