Debating for a better future: #ClimateofChange youth activities in France

As citizens and decision makers of tomorrow, ALDA works tirelessly to empower younger generations and amplify their voice on societal utmost topics, such as climate change and social inequality. As a matter of fact, aiming at reinforcing this action, ALDA promoted a debate workshop at the Liceé Fresnel in France, which took place on 27 & 28 February 2023. 

The  workshop, (fuelled by the DEAR project Climate of Change) was meant as an educational activity to provide young students with the necessary and relevant tools to stand and support an argument. Furthermore, as the project’s framework stands, the workshop allowed them to get more familiarised with climate change and issues related to it, such as climate justice and climate induced migration. 

On the first day of the workshop, the facilitators introduced the concept of persuasion and its three modes ETHOS, PHATOS, and LOGOS. These modes are the principles to convince the audience with strong and rational arguments, and each one includes a different approach to the audience.

Click here and watch the video of the #ClimateofChange workshop!

Ethos refers to credibility, ethics or values while the speaker exposes his/her arguments. Pathos, on the other hand, is related to the emotions and feelings the audience experiences. Finally, Logos is equivalent to logic and rationality, meaning that concrete and realistic facts are used to convince the public of statistics or charts.  

On the second and last day of the workshop, the high school students were divided into groups, and the purpose was to put into practice what they learned during the first day, along with developing critical thinking. The activity consisted of elaborating pros and cons arguments on low-cost tourism and its eventual consequences as an economic opportunity or a risk to the environment.

The educational objectives were to present the message in a concise, effective and clear manner; to arouse curiosity and maintain attention while speaking; to control the body, voice and words to send the right signals, and speak with full awareness and confidence. 

In conclusion, along with the workshop activities, the students were introduced to the project #ClimateofChange and the activities implemented so far. Young people’s awareness and voice on environmental issues are fundamental for better solutions.

Click here to watch the #ClimateofChange video!