By: STANDO
In Cyprus, climate change is something people increasingly feel rather than simply hear about. Long summers, water shortages, and shifting seasonal patterns are part of everyday conversations. And yet, turning this awareness into meaningful engagement—especially among younger audiences—remains a challenge.
As we began preparing our NEUROCLIMA pilot in Cyprus, one question kept coming back: how do we move from awareness to connection? Not just understanding climate change, but feeling confident enough to talk about it, question it, and even imagine solutions.
This is where our approach started to shift.
Instead of designing activities that “teach” climate change, we focused on creating spaces where participants could explore it in their own way. That meant moving away from heavy content and towards interaction, creativity, and shared experience. It also meant accepting that not everyone enters the conversation with the same level of knowledge—or confidence.
One of the first insights during preparation was how differently participants relate to climate topics. Some approach it analytically, others emotionally, and many feel uncertain about where they stand. Rather than trying to standardise these responses, we decided to work with them. The pilot, therefore, is not about delivering the same message to everyone, but about allowing multiple ways of engaging with the same issue.
This is where tools like NeuroClima Learn, NeuroClima Play and our Creative Toolkit come in—not as the centre of attention, but as enablers. In practice, what matters is not the tool itself, but what it unlocks. A simple activity, such as building a short story about a future affected by climate change, quickly becomes something deeper. Participants begin by imagining, but they end up reflecting—on their environment, their habits, and sometimes even their concerns.
Teachers and facilitators play a key role here. In school settings, for example, the dynamic changes significantly when activities become collaborative rather than individual. Students who might not normally engage in discussions often find their voice when working in groups or through creative formats. These small shifts are difficult to capture in formal metrics, but they are often where the most meaningful engagement happens.
What we are most looking forward to as the pilot begins is not a specific result, but a type of reaction. The moment when participants realise that their perspective matters. When they move from “I don’t know enough about this” to “I have something to say about this.”
Because ultimately, this pilot activity is not just about climate literacy. It is about confidence in engaging with climate issues—whether through discussion, creativity, or reflection.
As one educator involved in the pilot noted:
“When students start telling their own stories about climate change, you realise they are not just learning—they are understanding.”
This is the shift we hope to achieve: moving from simply informing participants to empowering them to engage, create, and reflect on climate challenges in meaningful ways.
