As part of his PhD project, Serge Yemey worked with CM1 and CM2 classes (4th and 5th grade equivalent) from three schools in Togo's coastal zone. The aim of his work was firstly to understand the representations of climate change held by these children aged 9 to 15, and then to set up various educational schemes to improve their relationship with climate risks. The area is already severely affected by rising sea levels.

Representations of climate change: present, past and future

What was first striking in the study of the children's representations of climate change was the naturalization of the consequences of climate change: the young people surveyed did not consider the anthropogenic actions involved in the climate crisis. Seeing this, Serge Yemey experimented with educational tools for a better understanding of climate change. It demonstrated the importance of education to face the impacts and risks of climate change.

Nonetheless, the students may not have scientific knowledge of climate change, they have experiential knowledge of it. Local knowledge also played an important role in the schemes set up as part of this study. The whole process was rooted in the territory. For example, one of the phases of work with the youngsters was oriented towards the past, gathering the collective memory of local residents, investigating the mitigation strategies developed locally, and describing the modifications of the territory.

Serge Yemey's work with these children has also involved multiple moments of work on futures through a variety of postures:

Imagining the future

During an initial diagnostic phase, the children were invited to express their vision of the future and their conception of climate change through a questionnaire. This enabled an initial analysis of their images of the future.

Scenarios of the future

Following an education session on futures, the young people set about fictionalizing their territory in the future through speeches and drawings. They proposed actions to adapt and mitigate climate change. The classes met as a whole group for a debate to choose the futures they collectively preferred.

Projects for the future

Finally, they are in the process of translating their learning into action on collective projects on the territory. It is the moment for them to share their reflections on preferred futures with the other generations of inhabitants and start acting and "making" the future.

On the importance of Education

This study takes place in a broader reflection about Education. We had the opportunity to talk with Serge Yemey about his experience.

He was impressed by the ability of students to imagine the future, to go beyond the collapse we all feel. They feel concerned and actively want to go towards a more ecological future. They also have a great capacity for imagination and are a great source of ideas.

Serge Yemey thinks we should give the students the place to create a new world, to experiment, in formal or non-formal educational settings.

He advocates for an education for choice: giving young people the opportunity to think for themselves. Being an educator is political, you need to give the students the keys to be actors in their lives and community, including critical thinking.