Some of the students in your classroom(s) may have—possibly traumatic—experiences with displacement. This represents both a major challenge and an invaluable opportunity to teach inclusively about climate change and forced displacement. By providing a platform for displaced or migrant students, you provide an opportunity for local students to better understand their peers’ experiences and discover the many aspects that characterize life in a diverse society. When students share their varied lived experiences, everyone benefits from the opportunity to empathize and connect with one another.

There are many existing avenues and strategies to integrate and support displaced or migrant students, some of which are listed in the “Learn More” section below. The majority of these references suggest that teachers include materials and activities in their lesson plan that embrace the cultural identities and experiences of displaced students. They recommend adopting collaborative learning strategies and organizing the classroom to ensure that these students are surrounded by supportive peers. You can provide them with the space to share their family’s experiences and foster a safe environment for them to express their worries and hardships.

Some displaced children may be in need of psychological support. You are most likely aware of the resources available at your school. Other such resources can be provided to students (depending on their age) or parents in need—see Appendix 2.

The research group ARICA has created a toolkit for reducing the psychosocial impact of extreme meteorological events (in French only), which can be a useful reference for providing support to students displaced by such weather phenomena¹.