Opportunities for gender equality and climate justice programming for girls

• In Event: Exploring social responsibility among girls’ education actors on issues of climate and sustainability

Proposal

Previous analysis demonstrated that although there are groups of actors addressing gender, education, and climate change, many of these actors are doing so in isolated ways. As a result, the identification of problems and solutions to gender inequality and the climate crisis has been traditionally confined to the gender, education, climate change sectors from which they have stemmed, thus failing to help girls reach their full potential. By working at the intersections, however, programs and policies can take a more holistic approach to education and unleash the power of girls to make an impact.

This presentation provides an overview of a follow-up study on gender, education, and climate change that sought to understand potential ways forward for gender equality and climate justice programming for girls that cuts across silos. In addition to presenting the current landscape of actors and its notable gaps, the presentation also overviews findings of how organizations are approaching the teaching of social-justice oriented climate change education or gender transformative education. Drawing on an extensive body of literature from the study of transformative learning, transformative social change, and others, the presentation also offers a theory of change for programs to consider, and a proposed curricular framework for achieving the goals of a gender transformative education for climate action.

The presentation lends itself to recommendations on how programs might integrate climate and gender justice in their education practices and programming for girls, before turning to the practitioner and donor perspectives as examples from the field.

Authors

• Christina Kwauk, The Brookings Institution

• Natalie Starr Wyss, University of Wisconsin-Madison