A Catholic ecology education project developed after a survey found that 67% of Catholic secondary students had never heard of Laudato Si’ has expanded to nearly 300 organizations in 37 countries.
Researchers at St Mary’s University in Twickenham developed the Laudato Si’ Champions project in response to the 2022 survey on students’ awareness of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on ecology.
The initiative was first piloted with 225 students in the Diocese of Salford before expanding internationally. Its resources have been downloaded across every continent over the past year.
The university is relaunching the resources for the Season of Creation, observed from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, for use in schools, colleges, parishes and youth organizations.
The free toolkit provides materials for six sessions on Catholicism and ecology, including presentations, worksheets, teacher guidance, student workbooks, key-term sheets and certificates.
The materials have been used in a range of settings, including Laudato Si’ events in Kenya, prayer services in the United States and catechism classes in Malaysia.
An evaluation of the project found that 98% of participating students said they had a firm understanding of Catholic teaching on ecology after using the materials.
Students’ confidence in understanding climate change increased from 42% to 80%, while their sense of personal responsibility to care for creation rose from 44% to 76%.
Dr. Sean Whittle, senior lecturer in Catholic education at St Mary’s University, said the toolkit was designed to reduce preparation time for educators.
“For busy teachers, this toolkit is a gift because it is, in effect, an ‘off the shelf’ ready-to-use set of lesson resources,” he said.
The Laudato Si’ Champions project is part of the university’s wider Guardians of Creation Project, which focuses on integral ecology in Catholic schools.
Dr. Roland Daw, research lead for the Guardians of Creation Project, said the approach seeks to help young people connect their own agency with environmental concerns.
“This evidence-based approach to helping young people make the connection between their own agency and the environment will be instrumental in building hope and resilience around the ecological crisis,” Daw said.
For educators in England and Wales, the resources have been designed to align with Religious Education Directory learning outcomes.
They are also referenced in the Catholic Schools Inspectorate Inspection Handbook as examples of schools’ commitment to the environment and care for the common home.
