How do you talk to children about climate change without sparking fear, but instead fostering inspiration? In six Bulgarian schools, teachers working with the GET project set out to show that even the most complex global issues can become meaningful, empowering and deeply personal for young learners. Their vision is clear: when children feel a genuine connection to the world, they gain the confidence to believe they can make it better.
In Pomorie, Aytos, Ihtiman, Sungurlare, Kableshkovo and the villages of Galabets, Bata and Profesor Ishirkovo, teachers introduced Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and climate education through short videos, discussions and interactive activities with students from 4th to 7th grade.
They expected hesitation. Instead, they were met with a wave of curiosity.
“Children had never talked about climate at home. But in the classroom… their eyes changed, ” told us Katya Nikolova, teacher at “Hristo Botev” Primary School, Pomorie. The GET educational resources helped transform an abstract topic into something tangible. By integrating them into teaching, students:
“The GET materials are a breath of fresh air. The children started asking questions they had never asked before” said Irena Balahurova, biology teacher at “Hristo Botev” Primary School, Bata village. GCE didn’t stay on the page, it came alive.
The real transformation happened when students began creating their own stories.
In Aytos, 11-year-old Irem wrote a fairy tale about a suffering planet Earth, which “sweats like melting ice cream” and heals when children take action. Her story became a symbol of change: a child’s voice speaking about the climate crisis with honesty and imagination. In another school, Eftade Ali wrote an essay connecting climate change with human activity, industry, energy and responsibility. He wrote about the ozone hole, acid rain, Chernobyl, and concluded that “there is a way to save nature, but it depends on us”.
These young student voices proved that Global Citizenship Education does more than inform. It builds critical thinking, empathy and agency. And the impact didn’t stop in the classroom. Students then began taking action in their communities in many different ways:
Teachers also noticed something else very important: students started taking the topic home, talking to parents, asking questions, and insisting on change. “We received the Earth as a gift from our parents and on loan from our children” said Krasimira Karadzhova, a teacher in Aytos. That was only the beginning. Children now want to continue planting, creating, and teaching others about climate change. And as one student wrote in her fairy tale: “If we all become friends of the planet, she will once again sing the song of life”.
Activities from the GET project show that when students understand the world, they don’t feel afraid, they feel responsible. And when they feel responsible, they act. This vision represents the future GCE is building in Bulgaria: a generation that gives a voice to the planet, and listens to it. Join the change, be part of our community of global educators!
Try one GET Teaching and Learning Unit in your classroom and encourage students to create their own story, model or mini-project. Together, we can empower a generation that protects the planet with knowledge, creativity and courage.
