Hope and Resilience in Emotion-Sensitive Climate Change Education

Description

In view of climate change and its effects on the natural world and humans alike, the importance of preparing for action can hardly be overestimated. Emotions seem to affect our preparedness to face this challenge. Additionally, climate change education may offer opportunities for reaching all. Therefore, this summer school explores climate change emotions and emotion-sensitive climate change education research.

The programme consists of keynotes and workshops on climate change emotions and emotion-sensitive climate change education research, mentor groups on participants' own research project, and an excursion on water governance and climate change in the Netherlands.

Aim is to support early career researchers, i.e. PhDs from the end of their first year onwards and junior postdoctoral researchers. That is why participants will be asked to prepare a presentation of their (projected) research project. A research focus on the psychology of climate change emotions and/or climate change education will be particularly welcomed. 

Lecturers

• dr. Jelle Boeve-de Pauw: associate professor of science education at the Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University. Jelle teaches in the master programme Science Education and Communication, with a focus on research methods of the educational sciences. His research focuses on issues of assessment and evaluation in sustainability and climate change education.
• dr. Wanda Sass: postdoctoral researcher at the Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, investigating how emotion-sensitive climate change education can foster hope and resilience regarding climate change (action). Wanda has developed the Action Competence in Sustainable Development (ACiSD) and Quality Education for Sustainability Teaching (QUEST) frameworks and several related survey instruments.
• dr. Michiel van Harskamp: postdoctoral researcher at the Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, investigating how teachers can bring socio-scientific reasoning and decision-making into the classroom. Michiel is also interested in the emotions and coping strategies of young people when they are confronted with climate change.
• dr. Christine Knippels: associate professor in biology education at the Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University. Christine holds a PhD in Genetics Education and completed a postdoc research project on moral reasoning in genomics-related dilemmas in science education. Her research focuses on fostering responsible citizenship in science education and the development of metacognitive skills as part of scientific literacy.
• dr. Astrid Poorthuis: associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at Utrecht University. As the chair of the Board of Examiners and as Teaching Innovation Ambassador of Psychology, Astrid is dedicated to high quality assessment and improving education by increasing students' active learning activities. Her projects include adolescents' motivation to engage in eco-friendly behaviour.
• dr. Andrik Becht: assistant professor at the Youth & Family department, Utrecht University. Andrik has established an interdisciplinary research line to study how key psychological, social, and neurobiological processes contribute to identity development across adolescence and young adulthood. In his most recent work, Andrik investigates when, how, and why young people develop an ecological identity and pro-environmental lifestyle to contribute to our knowledge regarding how to promote pro-environmental behaviour.
• dr. Tim Favier: assistant professor of Geography & Education at the Faculty of Geosciences (Hogeschool Utrecht; Utrecht University) . Tim teaches didactics of geography, sustainability and ICT,  as well as a course on Sustainable Deltas in the Bachelor of Human Geography and Spatial Planning. His research focuses on the Pedagogy of Hope.
• dr. Bohuslav Binka: associate professor at the Department of Environmental Studies, Masaryk University (Brno, Czechia). Recent research focuses on the social perception of urban parks from the perspective of city dwellers. He combines work in academia with his practice as a therapist, in which capacity he focuses on Gestalt and integrative psychotherapy. He believes therapy means openness, safety, courage and self-knowledge in the I-you relationship.

Target audience

The HARP summer school is designed for junior Postdocs and Phd researchers from the end of their first year onwards. Applicants' research projects should have proven affinity with climate change emotions and/or emotion-sensitive climate change education.

Aim of the course

Aim of this summer school is to develop early career researchers’ research capacities by:

• a content focus on climate emotions and emotion-sensitive climate education
• in depth discussion of your own research and how climate emotions, hope and resilience are (or can be) a part of it
• providing opportunities for community building and networking

This summer school is one of three programmes offered by the EU funded HARP Project. 

Study load

Estimated study load is 2ECTS:

• 25 to 30 hours in preparation of participation
• 25 to 30 hours on site during participation to the summer school (6-10 July 2026)

Tags

• Climate change emotions
• emotion-sensitive climate change education
• action-oriented climate change education