Since 2012, we’ve been offering climate change professional development training to build the capacity of teachers, informal educators, and youth to take action for building community climate resiliency within the Ojibwe Ceded Territory (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan). Climate Strong! integrates Ojibwe traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), culture, language, and leadership teachings with scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) to promote climate action. Our single and multi-day course are experiential and held in Lake Superior tribal and surrounding communities. Originally called G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institutes, in 2019 they became “Climate Strong!”
2022 Maawanji’iding gekinoo’amaagejig (Gathering of Teachers) Climate Change Teach-In- Climate Strong! Initiative
This “teach-in” was designed to develop confidence and competency to teach about climate change by integrating Ojibwe traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with STEM– no matter what grade or discipline. Classroom teachers, informal educators, community youth educators attended from all disciplines, many serving tribal youth in the Ojibwe Ceded Territory of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Sessions were held at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and featured hands-on activities to apply climate vulnerability research that integrates TEK, applying climate adaptation strategies at school/community level, and incorporating culture into teaching STEM and climate change..
A Climate Teach-In Session
See the 2022 Gathering of Teachers Teach-In Agenda for the educational sessions we offered and the Climate Teach-In-Presenter Bios. Presenters included climate education, TEK, and STEM specialists from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and the University of Wisconsin-Extension, with help from the Will Steiger Climate Generation.
View a Teach-In video presentation on integrating traditional ecological knowledge and place-based evidence of climate change with scientific ecological knowledge to promote culturally relevant climate action and read the Climate Teach-In Evaluation
Climate Strong! is a partnership with the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, 1854 Treaty Authority, and Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, funded through a NOAA Climate Resiliency Grant.
2019 Climate Strong! Institute, July 8-12
Our first Climate Strong! Institute was attended by 25 teachers, “informal”, and community educators serving youth audiences, especially tribal youth and tribal communities from the Great Lakes region, including Canada! Field sites included the the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, WI and neighboring tribal communities of Bad River and Red Cliff. See what we learned at
Learning about the process of making traditional Ojibwe birch bark canoe from Marvin DeFoe-Red Cliff Tribal Elder
our 2019 Climate Strong Institute Agenda. Check out feedback we received 2019 Climate Strong! Institute Evaluation Results
Jump over the the G-WOW Changing Climate Changing Culture Institute page for our 2012-2016 educator professional development institute archive.
