Teachers are key to the implementation of the climate change education in the school. Transforming how future generations think and act about the environment and the world requires profound changes in teaching and learning. But how can teachers help all learners develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to exercise agency and take individual and collective climate action?

Thus, capacity building of teachers is critical for successful integration climate change concepts in the curriculum. Centre for Environment Education (CEE) as part of its collaboration with HCL Foundation under HCL Harit for Generation for Climate ActioN (GenCAN) initiative for schools conducted two rounds of online teachers training workshops. A two-days sustainability and climate change education online training module were developed for GenCAN school teachers.

The training consisted of two interactive modules including 4 technical sessions of overall 3.5 hours duration. The capacity building programme was conducted to provide orientation to teachers in effectively communicating concepts of sustainability and climate change with students while learning and sharing the best practices on environment education.

The trainings were held in English on 12-13 July 2023 and in Hindi on 18-19 July 2023. The sessions during workshop focused on climate change science, its impacts, action required and step by step process of taking up the challenge. During the session, the teachers not only gained knowledge but also shared their reflections on the concepts shared, their current work and plan on how to take up the challenge. Over 55 teachers participated in these workshops.

Orientation sessions were organized by CEE for GenCAN student leaders on 26 th July 2023. Two sessions were conducted in English and Hindi, aimed at building knowledge and understanding of students about climate change science, its impacts, and what can be done at school and individual levels to reduce our carbon footprint. Over 300 students from different schools joined these sessions which helped them to clarify their doubts with experts and plan what can be done at the school level to become a climate-friendly campus.

Climate Literacy is all about the level of understanding of an individual about the earth's climate, the impacts of climate change, and approaches for adapting and mitigating change. The first step to the climate action leadership challenge is based on the participation of student leaders in the online climate literacy quiz.

The national-level online climate literacy quiz was conducted on 2nd August 2023 for all GenCAN schools. A total of 525 students participated in the quiz across 16 states of India demonstrating a growing awareness and commitment addressing to climate change issues. Schools from urban and rural areas participated with great enthusiasm.

CEE and HCL Foundation organized a virtual Youth Climate Leaders’ Summit on 29th- 30th September 2023. The summit provided Climate Leader students the opportunity to interact with Climate Experts and engage in peer-to-peer interaction. Shri Kartikeya Sarabhai, Director of CEE, focussed on the significance of collective action, stating, "CAN” from “GenCAN” is so important, emphasizing that 'We can collectively solve the problem.' Ms. Heeta Lakhani, Co-Founder and Director of ClimAct Foundation, encouraged students to lead by example, saying, "Be the Change – Become an example” for others to follow you on this path. Dr. Santanu Basu, Project Director of the HCL Foundation CSR arm, emphasised the power of collaboration, stating, "I can do probably less, but WE can do a lot." These insights from the Climate Experts motivated students to become more climate-sensitive and proactive in their efforts to combat climate change. The Student Climate Leaders also asked questions to the experts and gained clarity on various topics, including pursuing green careers, adopting sustainable lifestyles, and becoming environmentally conscious.