An Experiment in Climate Change Education in a Non-Formal Setting: The Carbon Summer School at Science Gallery Bengaluru

South Asia is a high-risk region for climate impact yet climate change education (CCE) remains basic and constrained to disciplinary bounds within formal educational institutions. Widespread CCE is necessary for effective mitigation and adaptation strategies and for building a climate-resilient citizenry. In June 2022, Science Gallery Bengaluru organised a four-week interdisciplinary educational programme, entitled Carbon Summer School (CSS), for 19 participants, aged 19-27. The projectbased learning programme connected selected youth with a variety of researchers, practitioners, and community-based organisations. Questionnaires, interviews and direct observation were used to track participants’ learning trajectories. Materials from this intensive curriculum were repurposed for five online self-directed learning courses. These online resources were supplemented with an instructor guide and deployed in formal educational institutions. Finally, an intensive internal and external evaluation process was carried out. The purpose was to build a pedagogical model for informal CCE in a low-resource setting, where deep and intensive learning is balanced with broad access and extensive impact. By the end of the CSS, the participants reported a heightened sense of urgency towards addressing climate change. Most participants saw the importance of engaging with the climate crisis in an interdisciplinary manner, with over 60% emphasising the role of local communities in decision-making. As part of the evaluation process, the team redesigned the programme with active community building and management. The pitfalls of funding-driven programming were evident and the need for a strategic long-term pedagogical approach also became apparent. Tension is evident between deeper, resource intensive learning for few participants and a more diffused educational exposure for a larger number of people. This is particularly relevant for public institutions, such as Science Gallery Bengaluru, operating with significant resource constraints. Interdisciplinary CCE that fosters lifelong learning relies on long-term institutional vision, resources and support. The felt urgency for climate action and need for immediate impact might, in fact, hinder more transformative educational interventions.