Kids4Climate Podcast/Website - Cameron, Karolina, Anya

 Kids4Climate Podcast and Website

  • May 12, 2022 


 


This final project was created by Cameron, Anya, and Karolina. During our time taking the Climate Change Communication course, we’ve learned that more and more people are aware that climate change is real and that it is impacting our daily lives. When choosing an audience, we decided to target kids in elementary and middle school because there seems to be a lack of an environmental education curriculum and we believe kids need to learn about the issue of climate change in order for them to begin living a sustainable lifestyle early on. We don’t know the fate of the Earth in the next 10-20 years but our hope is that the generations to come are able to live in a comfortable, healthy, and safe environment with awesome use of renewable energy! 


When thinking of ways to engage with kids and their families, our first thought was the car rides families take for trips to school, vacation, or visiting a local nature reserve. That is when our idea for a podcast came to be! We divided our podcast into 6 episodes and in each, we discuss different aspects of the environment that are being affected by climate change. The sections we decided to talk about were the greenhouse effect, sea-level rise, biodiversity, and deforestation. We then culminate the series with a solutions episode that families can take home and turn into practice to reduce their individual impact on climate change. To appeal to the kid audience, we did an interview-style podcast in which we brought a special guest to our episode which was framed as an animal who was impacted by a particular environmental concern. The podcast episodes were uploaded onto a YouTube channel with subtitles in each episode/video for increased accessibility. 


Alongside the podcast, we decided to create a website that will contain the episodes as well as a resources page with other links to websites, videos, and activities for kids to engage in from home. Framing of our message through our script and overall look of the website contains aspects of curiosity, critical thinking, and imagination. We refrained from using negative language when it comes to climate change and reassured the listeners of the podcast that it is okay to feel overwhelmed but that there is hope that we can make a difference to mitigate climate change. This is showcased in the framing strategies from Stoknes’ book, What we think about when we try not to think about global warming. 


To promote our website and podcast, we shared printable materials with Boyd Hill Nature Preserve as well as promoted the materials through social media. After the website and podcast were live for the public, we successfully reached (the number of people who listened/looked at the website).  We had so much fun creating this project to educate kids about climate change in an engaging and accessible manner.


Together, the three of us were each in charge of developing the ideas behind two podcasts and writing the scripts, which resulted in six total podcasts. We met for working sessions 4 times over the course of this project where we wrote scripts, recorded content, and divided responsibilities. Besides podcast scripts, Cameron mainly focused on the website design, Anya focused on editing the podcasts and Karolina was in charge of outreach and the blog post. Throughout the project, we continuously participated in revisions and edits. The work was evenly distributed and each group member felt supported throughout the project. 


Kids4Climate Website 

Kids4Climate Youtube Channel w/ Podcast Episodes


Stoknes, P. E. (2015). What we think about when we try not to think about global warming: Toward a new psychology of climate action. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

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