On July 15, a meeting was held to summarize the first stage of the “YES! for climate education ". Representatives of the government, non-governmental organizations and youth debated on supplementing the core curriculum in Poland with climate education. During the meeting, it was announced that a petition would be submitted to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. The government declared its readiness to conduct further talks on changing the core curriculum and reliable climate education later this year.

On the World Earth Day, April 22 this year, a social campaign for climate education was launched on the initiative of the partners: IKEA Retail Polska, Youth Climate Strike, Polish Ecological Club Mazowiecki District, UN Global Compact Network Poland, WWF Polska and Onet.pl.

"We are very glad that we were able to move the society and interest in the topic of the need to introduce reliable climate education in Polish schools. We know that we have no other option but to change our way of thinking about how we function on our planet, and young people are the ones for whom this issue is particularly important. It is also them who should acquire reliable knowledge that will help them find new socio-economic solutions conducive to the protection of our planet in the future. Of course, the youth themselves will not save the Earth, so it is so important that they have systemic support, so that the law supports nature protection. And they can only get this from responsible adults", says MirosÅ‚aw Proppé, president of WWF Polska.

The aim of the campaign "YES! for climate education ”is to draw attention to the role and the need to conduct reliable climate education in schools. A petition has been available on the site Edukacjaklimatyczna.com from April 22nd, thanks to which interested parties can express their support for this initiative. At the moment, nearly 60,000 people have signed the petition, which shows an active and committed attitude towards the idea of taking action in this matter. Thus, the goal of drawing the authorities' attention to the problem and starting social dialogue in Poland was achieved.

"We are grateful for all the votes given to support our petition. Our joy is even greater because the issues we raise are not easy, and many people who have heard about our campaign have encountered the concept of climate education for the first time. This can also be described as the success of our activities. However, when it comes to our main goal, which is to introduce the subject of climate and its change to the core curriculum, we are really only at the beginning of the road. There is a negotiation process ahead of us, during which we will have to ensure that the changes are carried out in a reliable and efficient manner. We want climate education to appear in Polish schools as early as 2022 ", says Szymon Kacprzak, Youth Climate Strike.

During the Thursday meeting, representatives of the Youth Climate Strike, on behalf of all campaign partners, presented the results of several months of efforts. The government side, encouraged by the results of the campaign, confirmed that it will read the theses and solutions presented at the round table, and that certain steps will be taken later this year.

"The initiated dialogue on climate education in Polish schools must result in its introduction to the curriculum approach from 2022. Honest education is at the heart of the fight against the climate crisis. Now that the government side has a clear signal that students, their parents and teachers are calling for climate change education to be introduced as soon as possible, climate and education ministries cannot ignore it. Their task must be to urgently establish teams of scientists and experts as well as representatives of the social side, transparently working on supplementing the core curriculum. Polish students have the right to reliable climate education at all stages of education ", says prof. Zbigniew Karaczun, president of the Polish Ecological Club of the Mazowieckie District, expert of the Climate Coalition.

The campaign is the result of joint actions and work of all partners who have been working for several months to emphasize the importance of supplementing the core curriculum with knowledge in the field of climate change, which is the basis of the fight against the climate crisis.

"I am very glad that we have collected nearly 60,000 signatures together and thus drew the public's attention to a particularly important issue, which is climate education in schools. At IKEA, we place great emphasis on sustainable development, and issues related to climate protection are included in our People & Planet Positive strategy. I am very impressed with the determination and passion with which the representatives of the Youth Climate Strike have been consistently striving for systemic change for climate education for years. As a company, I am proud that we were able to support these efforts. The future is in our hands. I believe that only by acting together can we face the challenges of the climate crisis ", says Karin Sköld, President of IKEA Retail Polska and Director of Sustainable Development.

The event was also the inauguration of the Round Table for Climate Education, the aim of which is to continue the dialogue on the introduction of climate education in Polish schools.

"Systemic education on climate change is an absolutely key issue from the point of view of good preparation to counteract this greatest challenge of the 21st century. That is why every signature on a petition to introduce climate education in Polish schools is so important. I am very glad that there are almost 60 thousand of them. and this number continues to grow. Only in solidarity, across all divisions, we are able to take care of the planet with appropriate care, and thus de facto for ourselves and future generations. And only as informed citizens, equipped with reliable knowledge and appropriate competences, will we be able to change our habits and influence the decisions of politicians and business ", says Kamil Wyszkowski, Representative and Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Poland.