This awareness prompted a partnership between YLAI and INOVASI and the Ministry of Education and Culture to create informative nonfiction books and teaching modules on Climate Change Education. As stated by Feiny Sentosa, Deputy Director Technical DFAT – INOVASI, this writing training is part of the movement to work with local partners, to find local solutions, from local problems related to climate change issues in Indonesia. Children’s story writers will be trained to produce informative nonfiction that can be used in classrooms. By focusing on locally relevant issues, the writers will be able to highlight climate change issues around them and offer ideas on how to mitigate them.
In the training process, the writers will develop nonfiction texts that are educational and relevant to the Indonesian context. Ketut Ayu Sugati, Executive Director of YLAI, reminds us that the creation of children’s books must be interesting. If this element is missing, the book loses its power to attract child readers. This reading will also be equipped with a teaching module that can be utilized by teachers in classroom teaching. The teaching module is designed to be easy to use, so that teachers can easily integrate climate change material into daily lessons. With this module, students will be invited to be more active in understanding and discussing climate change.
The purpose of this writing is ultimately to increase students’ awareness of the environment. Through relevant readings and supported by the teaching module, students are expected to develop a deeper understanding of climate change and the importance of maintaining ecosystem balance. This awareness is important so that they are able to play an active role in preserving the environment in the future. In addition to providing benefits for students, the resulting book will also have a positive impact on teachers. The nonfiction book will be a rich and contextualized resource, making it easier for teachers to find references to campaign for climate change in the classroom.
These nonfiction books and teaching modules will be utilized in the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum. The Ministry of Education and Culture through the Education Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency (BSKAP) has launched the Climate Change Education Guide in an event themed “Moving Together for Climate Change Education in the Merdeka Curriculum”. The guide as well as the books that will result from the writing workshop are expected to help local governments, schools, teachers, principals, parents, and other partners in teaching climate change awareness and measures to address it. Everyone, including children, has a responsibility to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle for the future of the earth and the environment.