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CLIMATE RESILIENT SCHOOLS INITIATIVE

Working collaboratively with communities, Mycelium creates a scalable model for what community climate resilience can look like at a school across several areas of climate resilience: electricity, food, water, and air, each of which pertains to an area of our programming (Science for Survival, Growing Our Health: Food, Soil, and Carbon Drawdown, Water is Life, and Clean Air is a Right – see below for description of programming). We work with and alongside each community to:

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  1. Prioritize areas of concern related to climate change for that community

  2. Develop practical solutions that will be embedded in a tailored curriculum for middle and high school students

  3. Guide youth in building out those solutions at their school. 

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All of our programming under the Climate Resilient Schools Initiative is Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) aligned.  

Climate Resilient Programming 

STRANDS OF MYCELIUM

MYN focuses on climate resilience and climate mitigation to create and strengthen existing holistic relationships and build out regenerative economies. We believe it is imperative that our youth are trained in both climate adaptation and mitigation as part of their math and science education in order to lead the way toward comprehensive solutions to climate change. Our vision for creating transformational education is based on two dual beliefs: 

Hands holding the ground shaped like a heart with roots and a tree growing. Three arrows encircling the image. Text on arrow 1: climate and community resilience. Text on arrow 2: applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Text on arrow 3: indigenous, ancestral traditions and wisdom.
Students look at garden bed with yellow flowers

ANCESTRAL TRADITIONS AND WISDOM

Ancestral Traditions and Relationships:

 

Indigenous communities offer a wealth of in-depth wisdom derived from generations-long understanding of the land. We believe the fundamental incorporation of ancestral practice into our everyday life is a form of skill-building and identity affirmation to position youth— particularly those of color— to see themselves as leaders of their communities.

 

A 2018 study in the Environmental Science and Policy Journal found that integration of western science and site-specific indigenous knowledge is the surest and most comprehensive way to combat climate change. For example, weaving oral traditions with land management allows for a richer and more comprehensive experience for the learner. Additionally, creating pedagogy that employs ancestral wisdom and practices allows for culturally relevant curriculum that engages and draws in youth, especially youth of color, and empowers them to feel pride and ownership over solutions. 

Science Technology Engineering
Arts and Math (STEAM)

Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) curriculum: Research has proven time and again that youth learn best when they are able to directly engage in solutions. Hands-on STEAM projects enable youth to merge high academic concepts with practical applications to real-world solutions. This pushes young people to see themselves as change-makers who can have a genuine impact on their environment.  

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Our programming is NGSS standards-aligned and is created to be both site specific as well as easily adaptable across a range of geographic locations. Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of youth and communities in real-time as these issues arise. It is meant to be site- and community-specific while also recognizing the inherent truth of large thematics across multiple ancestral communities.

Student holding a container while another student pours water into container
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