Research project
Training of trainers’ programme with indigenous teachers on teaching climate change grounded in traditional ecological knowledge
- Start date: 1 April 2026
- End date: 31 March 2027
- Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Funding: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)
- Value: £15,000
- Partners and collaborators: Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Malaysian Action Research Network (MARNet)
- Primary investigator: Dr Syafiq Mat Noor
This capacity-building project builds on the British Academy Voices of the Rainforest initiative, which has co-created a traditional ecological knowledge-based climate change curriculum framework for primary schools with Indigenous communities, children, and school partners in Malaysia. The resulting “climate–nature–Indigenous peoples nexus” curriculum underscores the reciprocal relationships between Indigenous peoples, nature, and climate, aiming to foster the intergenerational transmission of traditional ecological knowledge and strengthen climate resilience among climate-vulnerable populations and Indigenous children.
This project will address some of society’s most complex challenges related to climate, education, and social life by empowering Indigenous teachers to deliver a climate change curriculum grounded in traditional ecological knowledge, as part of a train-the-trainers programme. The train-the-trainers model is a powerful mechanism for generating sustainable and scalable impact by creating a multiplier effect. Each trained teacher, in turn, becomes a trainer within their own community, ensuring the continued transfer of capacity and reducing dependency on external experts.