Creator

The genesis of the “Turn It Around: Flashcards for Climate Futures” toolkit involved a vast and diverse network of contributors, including esteemed youth artists, activists, educators, researchers, policymakers, and a multitude of organizational partners. This collaboration was instrumental in shaping the toolkit’s content and overarching vision.

As a PhD student in Educational Policy and Evaluation at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College ASU, I, Dilraba Anayatova, had the privilege of being deeply involved in this transformative project. I with my colleagues, analyzed the wealth of submitted artworks, meticulously categorizing and exploring submissions based on colors, age demographics, and geographic locations.

Immersing myself in the artwork, I sought to understand the profound emotional and contextual nuances embedded within the submissions. This analysis led to the development of a comprehensive policy report, an interactive website, and the physical deck itself. Together, we orchestrated marches, art exhibitions, presentations, and workshops to disseminate the toolkit’s content and spark meaningful conversations.

Leveraging my passion for environmental and rural education, I with my colleagues applied the flashcards to diverse settings, like tarot reading, nature walking, meditation etc. Moreover, we developed tailored educational resources designed specifically for teachers, harnessing creative interpretations of the flashcards.

Throughout this journey, under the mentorship of Dr. Iveta Silova, my contributions were aimed at enriching the project outcomes and advancing the mission of fostering ecologically conscious education futures. The collaborative efforts of everyone involved, including youth artists and partners, greatly shaped the success of this initiative.

Toolkit Development

“Turn It Around: Flashcards for Climate Futures” was conceived as a year-long youth-led climate education initiative, initially established at Arizona State University and generously supported by the Open Society Foundations and UNESCO’s Futures of Education Initiative. Its focus was to address education’s pivotal role in addressing the environmental crisis and our collective inability to envisage alternative solutions.

The project stemmed from a realization that despite efforts to promote education as a vehicle for sustainable living (e.g., Sustainable Development Goal 4 or UN’s Education for Sustainable Development initiative), educational systems persistently reinforced human exceptionalism and economic growth over environmental sustainability. Fossil-fuel-dependent, profit-driven activities had drastically escalated global warming, pushing the planet toward irreversible tipping points.

Merging visions and voices of youth artists and leaders globally, the project aims to radically reimagine education as part of he solution to the climate crisis. The project refused to accept human exceptionalism and neoliberal individualism as the sole survival vision on a compromised Earth. Instead, it aimed to amplify marginalized voices, considering intergenerational, cross-cultural, and multispecies interdependence and justice.

The project’s call for contributions circulated through social media, inviting children and youth to share their art and written responses on various prompts related to climate education, sustainability, and their visions for a livable future on Earth. Overwhelmed by the response, the initiative received over 1000 submissions from 60 countries and five continents, with a significant disproportion in submissions from the Global South compared to their contribution to historical CO2 emissions.

Toolkit Ambitions

The “Turn It Around: Flashcards for Climate Futures” toolkit aspires to serve as a catalyst for transformative change in climate education. It seeks to engage policymakers, educators, and communities worldwide in reshaping educational paradigms toward ecological justice and sustainability.

This toolkit aims to transcend conventional educational models by offering a multifaceted approach that merges socially engaged art with factual scientific insights. By harnessing the power of artistic expression, it endeavors to inspire immediate action among policymakers while laying the groundwork for long-term policy planning that acknowledges intergenerational, cross-cultural, and multispecies interdependence and justice.

Central to its objectives is the integration of youth voices and perspectives from diverse global backgrounds, underscoring the urgency and depth of the climate crisis. The toolkit seeks to challenge traditional hierarchies by amplifying voices typically excluded from global climate conversations, thereby fostering a more inclusive and representative dialogue.

Moreover, the toolkit aims to provoke critical thinking and paradigm shifts, challenging the prevalent belief in human exceptionalism and individualism. It endeavors to dismantle outdated educational structures that prioritize economic growth over environmental sustainability. Through the use of visually stimulating flashcards and thought-provoking content, it aims to engage audiences in reimagining education as an integral part of resolving the climate crisis.

Ultimately, the toolkit aspires to trigger a series of transformative turns in educational systems, encouraging a shift towards pedagogies that honor interdependence, reciprocity with nature, and holistic ecological community-building. It seeks to galvanize global audiences into adopting an approach that recognizes the intricate interconnections between humanity and the planet, fostering a collective responsibility for a sustainable future.