Intergenerational education: YOU are an actor in knowledge production

Recreating the educational programme as a home-based assignment.

Using oral histories to save ancestral knowledge

Let’s take a look at the educational programme that was implemented in northern Peru to explore the benefits of the El Niño phenomenon.

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We will then be recreating the same exercise.

What did the students do?

Students interviewed family members to better understand the El Niño phenomenon and carry forwards useful information.

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Specifically, they asked their family members about the economic activities they did after the rains, such as fishing and farming.

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Using this information, they produced videos communicating the stories they had learnt.

Core themes

1. El Niño and climate change

El Niño events are made more frequent and more intense by climate change.

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• Warmer temperatures increase the amount of water involved.
• Deforestation and land erosion make it harder for soil to absorb water.

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The UK is also affected by climate change, where people will experience more weather events such as Storm Eunice in February of 2022.

2. Adding children

Children are important in addressing climate change because they:

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• Experience it in the present and are affected by and respond to it differently
• Will face the long-term consequences of climate change throughout their lives

3. Adding ancestral knowledge

Ancestral knowledge is useful to manage the effects of El Niño and climate change more broadly because it:

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• Has been successfully used for coping with climate over centuries
• Keeps traditions and heritage alive which might be forgotten

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The inclusion of children creates an intergenerational exchange.

Let’s see it!

What is Alexa telling us?

1. El Niño both harms and benefits communities.
2. The El Niño phenomenon brings rain that waters agricultural lands and fills lagoons, increasing food production.
3. This food sustains families through sales.
4. She interviewed a farmer to discover more about agriculture and El Niño in northern Peru.

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Children often go unheard in decision making. Alexa is standing up to this because she has something to say.

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Children as actors for change

Your turn...

The exercise in 3 steps:��Follow the worksheet for specific instructions. �

1. You will interview a family or community member about their experiences of weather phenomena or climate change.
2. From this information, you will produce a story of their experience, tying it in to what you have learned in this chapter. At the end, include your own opinion on this story. This can include what you have learnt that you did not know, or recommendations for the future.
3. Present this information to your classmates.

Why is this important?

• Climate change and how we deal with changing weather are pressing topics.
• We are keeping traditions about how we interact with nature alive.
• We are giving a platform to meaningful voices that often go unheard, including yours!

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Off you go!