While working together with other professionals in the same field can lead to great results almost anywhere, such collaboration is especially important in the climate sector. There are so many diverse approaches needed to adequately approach the climate crisis, and I have frequently been impressed by the perspectives people bring whenever I meet them. I’m continually inspired by their innovation. It’s thanks to the many encounters with others in the same field as me that my dedication for my work is so strong.
When I learned of the Professional Development Grant offered by the Banyan Impact Fellowship, I knew immediately that I wanted to apply for the opportunity to continue having these conversations. I spoke with my Senior Fellow, my supervisor at the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), and others I knew in the space to get a better understanding of who I might be able to learn from. I was pleasantly surprised at how deep the networks between all of them ran—not only did we discuss a long list of organizations that I could speak with, but I noticed that I had been recommended to speak to some groups independently by several different people. While I wanted to gain general insights from these professionals, I planned to center our discussion around my Fellowship project. I was working with CEE to develop an interactive module on Sustainability and Climate Change to be used in schools all across India. I hoped to gain more insight on two specific aspects: how to make the module engaging and interactive for students, and how to design activities in ways that accounted for the vast differences in geography and capacity across schools in India.
With these topics in mind, I reached out to several organizations, and received prompt responses from them. With their generous confirmation that they would be able to set some time aside to speak with me, I applied for, and was fortunate to receive, a Professional Development Grant from the American India Foundation. The weeks ticked down as I planned for my trip to New Delhi, where all the groups I would be speaking with were based. Before I knew it, I found myself packing my bags for my journey, ready to return to the capital of India.
I had traveled the weekend before the duration of my Professional Development Grant began and planned to go directly to Delhi via overnight bus to begin my week of meetings. The way that the schedule had worked out meant that I was going directly from the bus to my first meeting of the trip with UNESCO New Delhi. A night of restless sleep on a less-than-comfortable bus crossing state lines led to my bleary-eyed self staring out the window as I entered the slightly familiar streets of Delhi. With not enough time to drop my bags off before I needed to enter the UNESCO complex, I hailed an auto-rickshaw and headed towards my first destination, big backpack and duffel bag in tow.
UNESCO and the Greening Education Programme
The UNESCO New Delhi complex rests in the wide streets near the diplomatic quarter, in the heart of the city. As I walked the rest of the way to the building, I marveled at the quietness of the roads, the vivid greens of the trees lining the highway next to me, and the warm breeze pushing gently against me. I stopped in front of a high-rise tower just off the road that proudly displayed “UNESCO” in golden letters and, after a brief security check, entered the building.
I was here to meet with Mr. Abhinav Kumar, a Programme Coordinator working in education at UNESCO New Delhi who had collaborated on initiatives like their Greening Education Programme (GEP) with CEE. I felt a bit silly greeting him with all of my luggage, but my travel situation ended up having no negative bearing on our discussion—in fact, it was a great conversation starter! After some casual chatting, we talked about strategies I could take away from GEP and other UNESCO initiatives that would be helpful for my module development. Given GEP’s wide-ranging emphasis on four pillars of “greening”—schools, curricula, teacher training, and communities—we discussed how to make the complete module more holistically oriented, rather than just focusing on curriculum development. He also recommended the inclusion of teacher feedback throughout the drafting process and gave some ideas on unique ways of approaching activities and experiential learning to make the module more engaging. When the meeting ended, I felt much more prepared not only for my coming discussions that week but also for the remainder of my project.
The Climate Reality Project and the Green Campus Programme
I had some time before my next meeting with The Climate Reality Project, and I wanted to sort through my notes and work on some other tasks in the meantime. Being in New Delhi, I knew just the place to bunker down: the American India Foundation offices. I was very happy to see some of the other Fellows there—Jonathan and Joseph, along with the visiting Julien and Marcos—along with some members of the Fellowship team. I’m grateful for the hospitality they all showed me and for being able to see a glimpse of the life behind the scenes of managing the Fellowship!
When the time came, I felt prepared for my next meeting, walking down the spacious streets past Rajiv Chowk. I was going to meet the Program Manager for the Green Campus Program, Ms. Rekha Lalla, at The Climate Reality Project chapter in New Delhi. The Green Campus Program is an initiative to promote green learnings and practices in schools across India with a holistic lens, and I hoped to learn from some of their methods used within this program. We discussed the metrics that they used to classify the extent to which schools were “green” and the potential difficulties in accounting for the vast differences in capacity and geography for the schools they work with. I learned from her several specific ideas for interactive pedagogies for the students. Furthermore, she highlighted how this module could tap into existing excitement for environmental topics among students in schools with eco-clubs, and that I could create pathways to incorporate existing activities and community engagement within these programs into the module with teacher support. I left our conversation very grateful for experience and wisdom.
Centre for Science and Environment and the Green Schools Program
My final meeting would be with Ms. Tushita Rawat, Programme Manager at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). CSE had several initiatives aimed at providing curricula surrounding the environment and promoting sustainability in schools like the Green Schools Program, and as such, had a wealth of knowledge and experience that could improve my own understanding and the quality of my project. We had a fascinating discussion on several important aspects of climate change and education that further helped me to conceptualize the path forward for the module I was working on. I particularly appreciated her telling me about their focus on ecologically-friendly practices rather than just sustainable infrastructure to ameliorate differences in capacity across schools, which gave more agency to students. She also shared with me several resources and data collections that would be beneficial for the further development of the module. As I left the CSE complex, my mind was already buzzing with connections between things I had learned from all of my meetings, along with a profound sense of gratitude that these professionals were willing to share their time, energy, and insights with me.
Conclusion
Since the conclusion of my Professional Development Grant in New Delhi, I have had the time to sit further with what I learned from my conversations, and I have translated them into concrete next steps for the module. I’ve developed ideas for several new activities and ways of teaching the content of the module that would not have been possible without their knowledge. I have also gained new perspectives on the climate sector, both in India and internationally, that will inform my future work. I was also fortunate that several other Banyan Impact Fellows were visiting New Delhi—with their company and that of the Fellows based in New Delhi for their projects, I had many unforgettable experiences and deepen my bonds with the others in my cohort. I am deeply grateful to have had this experience and to the American India Foundation for providing it!
