RCE Greater Phoenix - 2022

Location

RCE Greater Phoenix
1000 Forest Mall. Payne Hall East- Suite 204 Tempe, 85281
United States
See map: Google Maps
US
Turn It Around! Flashcards for Education Futures
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Turn It Around! Flashcards for Education Futures
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Phoenix
Contributing organization(s) : 
Arizona State University, Artists' Literacies Institute, Changemaker Central
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Iveta Silova
Organizational Affiliation: 
Arizona State University, Education
E-mail: 
iveta.silova@asu.edu
Name: 
Andrew Freiband
Organizational Affiliation: 
Artists' Literacies Institute, Art
E-mail: 
andrew@artistliteracies.org
Name: 
Open Society Foundation
Organizational Affiliation: 
Nonprofit organization
E-mail: 
contact@opensocietyfoundations.org
Format of project: 
Online platform, printed edition, street art exhibit
Language of project: 
English, Spanish, French
Date of submission:
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Web link: 
https://turnitaroundcards.org/
Additional resources: 
The ‘Turn it Around!’ initiative addresses the goal of amplifying the urgency of introducing climate education in school and university curriculum - both locally and globally. At Arizona State University, student groups used it to mobilize support for making climate/sustainability education compulsory for all majors. The initiative was designed to bring youth visions and voices into education policymaking in order to reimagine education futures for the planet and people to survive. The initiative is linked to the UN Transforming Education pre-summit in Paris and summit in NYC.

Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
Sustainability Education, SDG4, Climate Education
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Local
Sustainability Education, SDG4, Climate Education
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Sustainability Education, SDG4, Climate Education
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Global
Country: 
United States
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Arizona State University, Office of Global Engagement
Ecosystem(s):
Dryland, Forest, Fresh water, Mountain, Urban/Peri-urban
Target Audience:
Community, Higher, Primary, Secondary, Teacher Ed., TVET, Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
As a rapidly expanding area situated in a precarious desert environment, the Phoenix metropolitan region faces significant sustainability challenges. Phoenix has recently been called the most unsustainable city in the world, especially in terms of air quality, heat island effect, groundwater availability, and quality education. The city of Phoenix is home to 1.6 million people; is the fifth largest city in the United States and is the fastest growing city in the United States. The ethnic makeup of the Phoenix metropolitan area is as follows: White (43%), Hispanic (42%), Black/African American (7%), Asian (4%), <Native American (2%), Pacific Islander (<1%).

Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The youth who participated in this project are challenging the status quo of education and climate action. They are demanding policy action - from clean energy practices to climate education policies. Unlike political leaders who debate the science of our current climate crisis or profit from corporate investments in fossil fuels, the youth demand real and immediate action in their local communities, as well as policy change at the national and global levels, to address the climate crisis. This project directly addresses SDG 4 SDG13 by positioning youth to re-educate policy makers, leaders, educators to turn it around.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
May, 2021
Rationale: 
Addressing the climate crisis is a complex, multifaceted effort that requires collaboration across academic disciplines, national borders, and political interests. The "Turn It Around!"initiative focuses specifically on the role of education in turning around the environmental catastrophe. It starts with the premise that education is directly implicated in the climate crisis and our failure to imagine alternatives. Despite efforts to promote education as key to achieving sustainable lives (e.g., Sustainable Development Goal 4 or UN’s Education for Sustainable Development initiative), education systems continue to perpetuate the logic of human exceptionalism and emphasize education’s impact on economic growth over other areas of impact such as environmental sustainability.

At the center of our initiative is one of the most basic learning tools — a deck of educational flashcards called Turn It Around! Flashcards for Education Futures — displaying climate crisis inspired artwork created by youth on one side, and motives, actions, and facts for policymakers to guide their decisions about our climate futures, on the other side. Our initiative aims to disrupt the status quo by radically reimagining our approach to education, and our relationship with nature and the living world.
Objectives: 
This initiative was designed to 'move' politicians, policymakers, and educators into a different state of thinking and being. Much like flashcards for literacy and numeracy, the cards featured in the collection introduce learners — policymakers, educators, and community members — to new vocabulary and perspectives generously shared by global youth. Unlike the traditional flashcards, the cards in this collection are designed to shift and shuffle existing knowledge and practice, which may have been forgotten, ignored, or even erased from the map of modern knowledge production.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
A local and global call for contributions was shared through social media networks with the goal of crowdsourcing art and text responses to several prompts (e.g., asking youth to imagine ideal learning environments, share their everyday actions that contribute to a livable future on Earth, tell why climate education is critical for their learning, or share where they find hope and resilience in facing the uncertain future). Youth shared messages and artwork that reflected the call to action. From the nearly 500 submissions, a deck of 70 cards was curated by a Youth Advisory board. The deck was printed and distributed to policymakers at COP26 and Transforming Education pre-summit in Paris. The artwork was also exhibit at the Transforming Education pre-summit as street art, displayed on the fence surrounding the UNESCO building.
Size of academic audience: 
The Turn it Around project has a broad reach both locally and globally. In Arizona, the ‘Turn it Around!’ initiative has engaged students and educators across the Phoenix metro area through the Walton Teachers Sustainability Academy and through networks
Results: 
From the local and global call to youth, nearly 500 submissions from 44 different countries were received in response to our initial call to action. Within the submissions, 12 submissions were from the southwest region of the United States in which the RCE of Greater Phoenix serves. The Turn it Around call to action continues to collect submissions from youth both locally and globally.
Lessons learned: 
The first lesson learned with this project is the urgency and passion youth have in addressing issues of global sustainability. Another lesson learned is the power of art to inspire change. The images and messages produced by youth have moved many recipients of the cards and have had a profound effect on perceptions of the urgency of climate education and climate literacy.
Key messages: 
Addressing the climate crisis is a complex, multifaceted effort that requires collaboration across academic disciplines, national borders, and political interests. Climate action should not take place without the engagement and leadership of youth. This project brings together the visions and voices of youth artists and leaders to radically reimagine education in order to address the root causes of the climate crisis.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
This is the first project out of the RCE of Greater Phoenix and will be foundational to our ongoing outreach efforts across the Southwest and the globe.
Funding: 
Funding for this project was generously provided by the Open Society Foundation and ASU’s Global Future’s Laboratory.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Card 07.jpg (970.17 KB) THINK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH The challenge before us today is to begin to think about sustainability through the lens of environmental health. The environment is a primary concern, not an afterthought. No human technology can fully replace "nature's Art Credit A. Ahmad, age 12 from Uttar Pradesh, India. Text Credit V. Dhanuka, age 16 from Uttar Pradesh, India.
Image icon Card 38.jpeg (431.88 KB) CLIMATE CRISIS FUELS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Remember the women who are victims of gender-based violence due to climate crisis when you make decisions about their future. Remember the women who are being sold off into marriage because of a shortage of food Art and Text Credit M.Pemberton, age 25, Arizona, USA
Image icon Card 53.png (1.34 MB) Earth is All We Have Got Earth is all we have got and we must learn how to take care of her. Including climate education in today's educational curriculum will bring the urgency of climate action, discouraging activities that lead to global heating and en Art Credit P. Khanapure, age 24 from Karnataka, India. Text Credit O. Kettley, age 26 from Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Indirect
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Indirect
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Direct
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Indirect
Theme
Traditional Knowledge  
Indirect
Arts 
Direct
Curriculum Development 
Indirect
Forests/Trees 
Indirect
Plants & Animals 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Indirect
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes