During May 2025, Children’s Parliament worked with Glasgow School of Art to design a project brief for the MDes Innovation and Citizenship course, called Ecological Citizens: Rethinking Play.
The project encouraged students to explore playful and creative ways of helping children understand environmental issues. It introduced students to the idea of ecological citizenship, thinking carefully about the choices we make every day, how they affect the environment, and how we can take responsibility as part of our communities. Children’s Parliament team members, Giulia and Jack, were able to share children’s views from the Learning for Sustainability and Climate Changemakers projects to inform the students’ work.
During the session, conversation among participants focused on how children meet and understand environmental ideas in different settings and how adults can engage with them in imaginative, playful ways.
By inviting students to engage with children’s reflections and calls for action on climate education, they were able to incorporate these perspectives into their work to design climate-focused projects that addressed them — not only in terms of content, but also through the ways of learning and participation involved.
Jack Stancliffe, Project Officer, Children’s Parliament
Giulia and Jack’s presentation detailing their creative approach to the project can be accessed here: