Although climate change has been part of public discourse for the last few decades, citizens of our countries still have not taken control of the subject. This inspired us to develop the first Climate Crisis and Communication Student Urban Bootcamp, directed at advanced students in communications careers, to form a base of future communication and journalism professionals prepared to discuss the climate crisis in all its facets, not only as an environmental problem but also understanding the social and economic relationships that this crisis will affect in cities.
During a three day urban bootcamp from August 30 to September 1, twelve Costa Rican students in journalism, public relations, social communication, and advertising design got together to learn how the climate crisis affects how to communicate climate action in cities, touching on themes such as biodiversity, agriculture, gender, and transport.
Each day, the students participated in theoretical-practical classes combined with tours of the cities of San José and Turrialba to get hands-on experience in concepts they encountered in the classroom.
This project was developed by the CPSU (Center for Urban Sustainability), assisted by Ojo al Clima and Low Carbon City with the sponsorship of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros and the help of LatinClima, Alianza Francesa, La Agencia de Cooperación Alemana through their program Mi Transporte y Biodiversidad y Negocio, the Environment for Development program from the Centro Agronómico Tropical, and Vibrato Studio.
In the next weeks the students will work on designing a communication proposal to publish on platforms. like Ojo al Clima, LatinClima, and the Fourth Low Carbon Cities World Form that will take place this October in San José.
