We learned about Climate Fresk from French colleagues working at the intersection of international education and climate action. Designed by engineer and professor, Cédric Ringenbach, Climate Fresk is an innovative workshop that gamifies data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. It breaks down thousands of pages of information into a highly engaging 3-hour workshop. The Climate Fresk Association is based in France and, as of December 2023, it has trained over 68,500 facilitators who delivered the workshop to nearly 1.5 million people across 156 countries. We're proud to include San Diego in this global education-for-climate-action movement!
In the workshop, participants contribute their unique knowledge and lived experience to explore cards containing different components of climate change. In small groups, they work together to place the cards in order of cause and consequence then illustrate the paper upon which the cards are placed to highlight the connections. The result is a colorful Climate Fresk unique to each group.
After creating the Fresk, workshop facilitators guide discussions to help participants reflect on what they learned, explore their emotions, and articulate actions. Participants report leaving the workshop feeling informed, energized, and inspired to implement their climate actions!
“Well-run workshop; adaptive and dynamic flow; very encouraging and informative!” ~ Community Participant
The high-quality content and accessibility of the Climate Fresk makes it a perfect addition to IGC’s portfolio of educational programs. We facilitated our first Climate Fresk in September 2023 to 14 participants and, less than 2 months later, we delivered a total of 7 workshops to 66 participants across San Diego county. We have big plans for reaching 3.5% of San Diegans with our educational programs and our capacity is ever increasing as more participants become trained facilitators!
Looking ahead, we'll continue to engage with the growing number of U.S. based facilitators to contribute to, and benefit from, the dedication and enthusiasm of this unique international community. We'll also continue to offer free workshops in San Diego and will increase access by partnering with other educational organizations and recruiting facilitators to deliver the Climate Fresk in various languages.
Join us at our next free community workshop or contact us at climatefresk@igc.earth to bring a dedicated session to your team!