Purpose

The Spark Afterschools Programme is designed for young people aged 10–12. Its aim is to build climate literacy, introduce the idea of cooperative action, and help participants see how their community can respond to environmental challenges. The programme uses games, discussions, and teamwork to make climate learning fun, while planting the seeds for long-term engagement in community-led climate action.

How It Works

The programme runs over two 60-minute workshops, delivered in schools, youth clubs, or community spaces.

Workshop 1 – Climate World Cup: Participants take part in a team-based game using a large world map and country cards to explore geography, climate risk, inequality, and football.

Workshop 2 – Local Action Design: Participants review photographs of environmental issues and examples of community-led projects from their own area. Working in groups, they imagine and plan a climate action project for their neighbourhood.

The sessions encourage cooperation, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They are designed to work for a range of group sizes and can be adapted to different learning environments.

Programme Development

The first draft of the Afterschools Programme was created by Catriona Kenny of Connecting Cabra. It was then adapted by a volunteer tutor with experience working with children and piloted in December 2024.

Key changes after the pilot included:

Making workshops adaptable for different class sizes
Reducing the amount of equipment to make transport and setup easier
Adapting the activities to be delivered in a variety of spaces, as insurance barriers meant we could not use our own venue

The final programme was co-developed by the Spark Team and Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI), with input from two City Connects teachers in a co-design workshop. Materials were created by our in-house designer and printed by Bridge Print.

How It Works

If you would like to run a similar programme, we can share the full curriculum, lesson plans, and equipment lists we used. We can also provide examples of how to adapt the content for different spaces and group sizes.

Email thespark@bohemians.ie to request the materials.

From our experience, we recommend:

Pilot first: Test the workshops with a small group to identify practical challenges before scaling up.

Keep it portable: Choose activities that require minimal kit, so they can be delivered anywhere.

Localise content: Use examples, images, and stories from your own area to make the sessions relatable.

Work with educators: Partner with teachers or youth workers to make sure the content is age-appropriate.

Plan for variety: Design activities that work for both small groups and large classes.

Impact on Our Community

By the conclusion of the Spark, the Afterschools Programme will have been delivered to seven groups of young people. Participants have shown enthusiasm for teamwork and have developed creative ideas for local climate action.

The sessions have built links between the Spark project and local schools, youth clubs, and families. They have also created pathways for young people to get involved in other parts of the Spark, from volunteering at events to helping with community projects.

Incentives have played a role too. Every participant receives a ticket to a women’s match at Dalymount Park, and winners of the Climate World Cup get small prizes like signed footballs. These rewards have helped maintain engagement while reinforcing the connection between sport, community, and climate action.

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