This year, as part of its Climate Change and Displacement Initiative, Displacement Solutions (DS) has launched the Coastal Kids Project to connect schools and students living in coastal areas in Bangladesh with schools and students in Australia who are also coastal dwellers. Today, 4 September 2012, the much anticipated, first ever Skype conversation between an Australian school (Sorrento Primary School, Victoria) and a Bangladeshi school (William Carey Academy, Chittagong) was facilitated by DS. Designed to increase understanding among all participants about the lives of coastal kids around the world and how climate change is affecting them, this classroom-to-classroom conversation was an exciting and insightful event for students and teachers alike, and was enthusiastically engaged in by all involved.This conversation marks the first of a number of Skype conversations which will be held between these two schools and, in time, similar conversations will be facilitated with schools from other climate-affected countries to further build awareness and engagement with the issue of climate change, and encourage transnational cooperation and learning among coastal kids everywhere. Make sure to keep checking for more news as the Coastal Kids Project continues to progress and expand! For further information, please email info@displacementsolutions.org.

Students from William Carey Academy, Bangladesh

Students from Australia and Bangladesh meet for the very first time!

The Chancellor of WCA briefs her students prior to the call

Presentation on climate change

Presentation on climate change – 2

Presentation on climate change – 3

HLP rights presentation

HLP rights presentation – 2

HLP rights presentation – 3

Md. Arifur Rahman, the CEO of Young Power in Social Action, briefs the students

Students from WCA engage in the first Coastal Kids conversation

Students during Coastal Kids conversation

Students during Coastal Kids conversation – 2

Md. Arifur Rahman of YPSA and the Chancellor of WCA with a signed letter of cooperation for the Coastal Kids Project

YPSA & WCA representatives at a ceremony signifying their cooperation under the Coastal Kids Project

The Coastal Kids signing ceremony

The DS Coastal Kids Project seeks to put coastal dwelling children in contact with each other for them to discuss and understand climate change issues affecting their geographical area and those of other children around the world.

Nauti Primary School grounds, Funafuti, Tuvalu

One of DS’ latest projects – Coastal Kids – will be starting in earnest in early 2012. The Coastal Kids Project will initially bring schools and students living in coastal areas in Bangladesh, Kiribati and Tuvalu into direct contact with schools and students in Australia who are also themselves coastal dwellers. Using communications technology such as Skype and other forms of internet-based connections and learning, the Coastal Kids Project will bring children from these four countries into direct face-to-face contact during which time they can discuss the reality of climate change, learn how climate change is affecting them and what kids in all of these countries can do to better understand the needs and wishes of coastal kids everywhere. Check here soon for further updates!

In September, 2011, DS Director, Scott Leckie, ran a course entitled “Climate Change and Displacement” at the globally renowned Australian National University in Canberra as part of their LLM program. This course involved presentations from a number of leading academics and activists and will be conducted by Mr Leckie again in 2012. Please send any enquiries to info@displacementsolutions.org.

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