World Space Week 2024 “Space & Climate Change”  

The 25th World Space Week, happening from October 4-10, 2024, will focus on the theme “Space & Climate Change.” This year’s theme emphasises the essential role of space technologies in understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on Earth. By exploring the connection between space exploration and environmental sustainability, the event is set to drive a global dialogue on how space can contribute to a more sustainable future. 

“We will emphasise the essential role that space plays in monitoring the Earth’s climate and mitigating climate change,” […] “This theme aims to spark worldwide educational and public outreach initiatives, showcasing the crucial and integral part that space plays in understanding our global environment,” Dennis Stone, President of the World Space Week Association 

Alma Okpalefe, the Association’s Executive Director, echoed the sentiment, emphasising the necessity of utilising space research to gather vital data about the health of our planet. “As space research equips us with vital data about the health of our planet, we must utilise it to effect meaningful climate action,” she said. 

To assist teachers and educators in inspiring the next generation, the World Space Week Association provides valuable educational resources, including the ‘Heinlein Teacher Guide’ and ‘WSW Teacher Activity Guide.’ These resources are designed to promote space-based activities in the classroom, creating an engaging and interactive learning experience for students. These guides can be downloaded from the official World Space Week website. 

In addition to these guides, the Association offers access to a wealth of education materials through its global network of Space and STEM education partners. These resources cover a wide range of topics related to space science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, providing educators with a diverse toolkit to enhance their teaching methods during World Space Week. 

How Australian Schools and Students Can Get Involved: 

• Schools can incorporate the “Space & Climate Change” theme across various subjects throughout a year, fostering interdisciplinary learning. This might include science lessons on climate monitoring from space, geography studies on environmental patterns, or literature and art projects inspired by the theme of sustainability. Check out educational resources here! 

• Engage students in hands-on projects that can showcase the impact of climate change and the role of space technology in monitoring environmental changes. These projects could involve creating models, conducting experiments, or collaborating on community initiatives related to climate awareness. 

• Invite experts in climate science and space technology to deliver workshops and presentations. This will provide students with valuable insights into the contributions of space in understanding and tackling climate change.  

World Space Week 2024’s theme of “Space & Climate Change” provides a unique opportunity for schools and students to delve into the intersection of space exploration and environmental stewardship. By aligning educational initiatives with this theme and utilizing available resources, schools can play a crucial role in fostering awareness, sparking curiosity, and inspiring the next generation of environmentally conscious space enthusiasts. For more information and to access educational resources, visit www.worldspaceweek.org.  

Supported by the Fogarty Foundation

In an initiative which enriches educational experiences, the timeless tale of “The Jungle Book” comes alive in a school’s matinee and pre-show discussion supported by the Fogarty Foundation. This program brings the magic of live theater to students and fosters creativity, diversity, and inclusivity among students, thanks to the Perth Festival’s Creative Learning Program. Which is a catalyst for nurturing a passion for the arts among students and young individuals, allowing them to not only witness the magic of the arts but also to immerse themselves in the creative process.

Recognising the importance of creativity as a future skill, the Fogarty Foundation champions initiatives such as the Creative Learning Program. By funding programs like these there is a broadening access to creative activities, ensuring that a range of students have the opportunity to engage with the arts in meaningful ways.

Through the performance, students are transported into the heart of the jungle through the timeless story of “The Jungle Book”. The immersive experience of live theater not only entertains but also inspires imagination, creativity, and critical thinking among young audiences. To begin the day, a pre-show discussion introduced students to the lead performer sparking engagement with the themes of “The Jungle Book Re-imagined.” The discussion outlined key issues within the show such as climate change and animal welfare. Furthmore, a creative learning resource pack is provided to the students ahead of time. Which guides their minds through the performance, outlines key themes and poses important questions to consider while they watch the performance.

‘Then Man Changed … hunting animals until they were extinct.’

Jungle Book Reimagined

As the narrative unfolds with its twists and turns, viewers are compelled to delve into a critical examination of the post-apocalyptic landscape laid out before them. This is especially evident in the intricate interplay among humanity, the environment, and wildlife presented within the show, where these components seamlessly merge into a cohesive whole. The audience is challenged to reframe the timeless narrative of The Jungle Book, which adopts new thematic dimensions and a more somber undertone. While Mowgli remains at the forefront, her character is led through a series of moral quandaries and moments of self-discovery, prompting viewers to ponder: Are we truly doing enough to safeguard our natural world?

Providing access to creative programs empowers the next generation of artists, thinkers, and leaders to tackle such questions. Through initiatives like the “Jungle Book Reimagined” Creative Learning Program, a creative spark is set alight for young people, enabling them to think curiously about the world around them.  

Look at the full program here!

In May last year, we launched our exciting new initiative – EDfutures. A platform to connect people and organisations who want to challenge the status quo in education.

Through EDfutures, we are helping to build an education ecosystem of K–12 and tertiary educators, businesses, industry, not-for-profits, social enterprise, government and the broader Western Australian community, with the purpose of developing learning that best prepares young people for the complex challenges of the 21^st century.

Since the launch, the community has grown to over 100 members, who connect and communicate through our ecosystem map, social media pages and events and workshops.

Our monthly community nights give members the opportunity to share their work, network and collaborate with others in the ecosystem; we also run activities to upskill members in systems thinking and organisational change theory.

These events are run for members, building the capacity of emerging change makers in our network, and they are also run by members themselves as we capitalise on the knowledge and expertise within the ecosystem.

As well as running the series of community nights in 2018, we also collaborated with Bankwest, to host Eddie Woo, who spoke to our community about the “Future of Maths in Schools”, and we hosted events with Schools of Thinking and the University of Western Australia and with Curtin University’s Learning Futures Network.

As our community continues to grow and our initiatives continue to gain momentum, we are looking forward to a busy and exciting year ahead. 2019 will see EDfutures take part in the Presencing Institutes Societal Transformation Lab (S-Lab) run through MIT, where we will work with a network of international changemakers across 7 impact areas to grow and scale our initiatives.

We will also host a range of events, including our monthly community nights and the first EDfutures Systems Change Summit. This will bring together our community to prototype innovative, multi-stakeholder curriculum projects that can be delivered in schools across WA.