Food Security and Climate Change Challenge Badge

At FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, schoolchildren, Girl Guide and Scout groups, and other participants were introduced to the badge - which, when earned, is designed to be worn on the uniform. Special guests Anggun (Indonesia singer and songwriter), Fanny Lu (Colombian singer and composer), and Valentina Vezalli (Italy's World Olympic fencing champion) joined the youth attendees at the launch event. The badge design is based on the drawing of 16-year-old Chan Hiu Wing from Hong Kong, who won an international drawing competition in which 1,400 entries were received from 49 countries around the world. The badge is available to the 10 million WAGGGS members, other youth groups, and schools all over the world and can be undertaken by anyone aged 5 to 20 years old.

Available in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, the badge curriculum (click here to access it) is divided into 3 categories:

1. Our Climate: a selection of activities to help young people understand weather and climate;
2. Our Food: activities to learn more about the consequences of our food and lifestyle choices on our planet;
3. Our World: ideas to engage a group in carrying out environmental projects and programmes in local communities.

In short, the curriculum involves encouraging a group to find out more about climate change and food security by using books like the "Our World, Our Climate, Our Food" youth guide and websites such as the Unite for Climate portal and the Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger website. The facilitator then allows the group and its individual members to make their own decisions on the activities they would like to conduct, choosing the activities that best match their needs, interests, and culture. Some activities can be done individually, others in small groups. Participants are encouraged to think and act autonomously and creatively when undertaking their activities. The young people then present the results of the challenge badge to the rest of the group; a discussion about how they can continue to apply it in their lives follows. Groups are also encouraged to send details about their activities to YUNGA (yunga@fao.org) so that they can be included on the website to motivate others. Facilitators can also organise an award ceremony for those who successfully complete the badge curriculum. Families, friends, teachers, media representatives, community leaders, etc. may be invited to participate in the ceremony, where the certificates and the challenge badges are handed out.

The 1st Lioni Group in Italy was one of the first troops to complete the pilot testing of the badge curriculum. The group worked to reduce their impact on the environment and to analyse their food choices. For instance, during the July 2009 summer camp "Save Our Planet" held near Naples, Guides and Scouts recreated the adventures of the cartoon hero Wall-e and made natural soap, used biodegradable detergents, identified ways to reduce their consumption of water and energy, made recycled paper, created musical instruments with aluminum cans, and used the "Reuse-Reduce-Recycle" theory (3R's) in all parts of camp life. As a reward for being one of the first groups to complete the badge curriculum, the Guides and Scouts from Lioni were invited to attend the World Food Day celebration at the FAO in Rome (described above), where they were awarded with the badge and certificate.

Environment, Food Security.

The badge curriculum is part of the "Our Climate, Our Food, Our World" initiative between FAO, WAGGGS, YUNGA and other partners, which develops educational resources and activities to engage youth in issues of climate change and food scarcity.