TURN IT
AROUND!

How to

TURN IT AROUND! is a toolkit to help us radically reimagine education in response to the climate and ecological emergency.  There is no one right way to use them, but here are some ideas that may get you started in turning this emergency around.

 

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STOP LIVING LIKE TOURISTS

I hear a whisper in the wind. I walk over stifled growth on once fertile ground. We live in a dilapidated home begging its inhabitants to acknowledge the value of its treasures, patiently suffering and waiting for change. Oh, how we ignore the mo...

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BUILD RESILIENCE

Southeast Asia has a lot of archipelagic areas that will sink in the future. From this point, don't just think about the big cities and harbours but also lands and places for native people. Many people will be displaced from home without knowing what...

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Finding connection in Conversations with Rain

Cup your hands over your ears, pause. listen. Notice overlapping sounds of sea, cave, sense, time, r a i n Now pick up two pencils, one in each hand, and use them to make the Sound of Rain with repeated marks falling onto the page. What if listening...

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LEARN INTERDEPENDENCE

Nature as an ecosystem of life on this earth has a very important role for all living things on it. If there is damage to nature, it will directly affect all living things....

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DEVELOP ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

The future is in our hands. Climate change isn't new, and treating it like taboo amongst the youth gives no sense of global citizenship. As a human on earth, we are obligated to give back to the land that's raised us. How can we prioritize solving cl...

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RESPECT THE HABITAT OF EACH BEING

My non-human teachers teach me to respect the habitat of each being, the need to have a home where to live in peace and safety, to be free, to have good health. Empathy is a quality that we must develop as much as possible to understand other human a...

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GROWING SEEDS FROM SOIL

The beauty of growing seeds from the soil. It’s so amazing how plants grow. School hasn’t taught me to plant trees, vegetables, crops and make our planet green again.  ...

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DON’T BE SELFISH. SCALE DOWN

Overfishing endangers food webs and ocean ecosystems by disrupting the balance of all sea life. How to fix it? Change our fishing method by catching fish with large populations. Today's version of large-scale agriculture drives deforestation that wor...

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WE BELONG TO EARTH

We belong to Earth, the Earth doesn’t belong to us....

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WALK ON THE LAND WITH LIGHT STEPS

Walk on the land with light steps. When there is no space for the indigenous person on the land, there will be no space for any human being. Listen to the Original peoples, take care of the land as you would take care of your mother, do not take anyt...

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CANCEL CATASTROPHES!

Care, courage, cooperation Can certainly curtail catastrophes. Concerned, caring citizens Consider cleverness, curiosity; Convince communities, committees Crack country’s concurrent crises: Crime, climate change, corruption. Consider conditions: Co...

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PRESERVE FORESTS

Preserving forests and living things on earth gives us the life we deserve. In recent years, there has been a massive exploitation of forests on the island of Borneo. Many people want to clear land by burning forests extensively for personal gain....

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WALK SLOWLY

Life close to nature has taught me to walk slowly. Humans are the only beings on this planet who wear a watch. There is no one who can rush the flowers, nor the rain. While the technology exists to do so, this only satisfies the times of humans, not...

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THE STILLNESS OF NATURE

In the stillness of nature I have learned to listen to my inner voice, to follow my intuition and to explore new paths. I have learned that I need sun, water, clean air and that, in a way, I am like a tree: my passage through life must produce sh...

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Reimagining Our Futures Together

To re-learn how we are interconnected with a living, damaged planet we must unlearn the human arrogance that has resulted in massive biodiversity loss, the destruction of entire ecosystems, and irreversible climate change. Pedagogy needs to be framed...

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NATURE IS THE SECOND MOTHER

Nature is the second mother from whom I learn the lessons of four elements essential to life. Water teaches me how to calm and keep going when meeting any obstacles. Fire teaches me how to be a burning star. Earth teaches me how to be patient. Air te...

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DANCING IN YELLOW

Dancing in yellow tastes sweeter than passionfruit, a place where the mountains, the beetles, the trees can hold me. They give me so much — I want to give back, to make them feel held. To support them in their growth, to watch the sun continue...

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LOVE AND CARE

I love taking care of our plants at home. I call them "bunso" or a younger sibling in Filipino. As an only child, I treat my plants as one of my younger brothers. I water them for nourishment, secure them by putting them inside our house when there's...

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NO SITUATION IS PERMANENT

In times of hardship and uncertainty, I find my hope by affirming that no situation is permanent. I try as much as possible to keep my head held up high and try again when I fail. I believe in perseverance and this makes me work harder to achieve the...

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