In Laudato Si', Pope Francis declared, "a great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us [...] Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us [...] living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork" (2015: 202-217).

Seven years later, educators continue to face this challenge of integrating faith and spirituality into teaching about the ecological crisis we face in the twenty-first century. How can we empower our young people to take action and become the ecological citizens of the future?

The Guardians of Creation project calls for papers that focus on and explore education and faith in our present ecological crisis. This symposium aims to bring together teachers, educators, and researchers to share new ideas in these areas and propose future innovations for the sector. In a reflective, welcoming space, we look to share our learning and cultivate hope for the future of our common home.

Topics for papers may include, but are not limited to:

• Responses to Laudato Si' in education
• Teaching climate justice and integral ecology
• Cultivating hope and tackling climate anxiety
• Environmental literacy in teacher training
• Integrating climate change with faiths and world views Decarbonising educational spaces
• Linking parish, school, and home
• Developing cross-curriculum approaches to ecological education

Submission Guidelines

We invite teachers, educators, and researchers to submit an abstract between 200-300 words and a brief biography (max 50 words) to Ruth-Anne at ruth.walbank@stmarys.ac.uk by 24th June at 5 pm (BST).

The symposium will take place virtually via Zoom on 14th July from 17:00-20:00 (BST). Registration details to follow.