Zero Heroes: Primary assembly script

Good morning/afternoon everyone.

I was watching the news last night and I saw that our planet is in deep trouble. So, I’m here today to ask if you could be a special kind of superhero, a Zero Hero, to protect our planet! Are you ready?

[Optional CAFOD explainer slide]

I’m here from CAFOD today. Does anybody know what CAFOD stands for? At CAFOD we believe in a world where everyone has enough to eat, water to drink, a safe place to live. A world where children can go to school and have medicine if they are sick.

We believe everyone should be able to live their life to the full, to help them be the best person they can be.

Who can tell me what a hero is and what a hero does?

Take a few answers.

Talk to the person next to you for 20 seconds about who your favourite hero is and what their special powers are. (My super power is that I can make you all stop talking as soon as I put my hands up and say ‘Time’s up!’)

Take some examples.

Themes: Climate Change, Net Zero

Materials Required: Zero Hero assembly PowerPoint

Desired learner outcomes:

For pupils to understand how climate change is affecting people and communities around the world

For pupils to be inspired to act to stop climate change

Time allocation: approx. 20 mins

 

What’s your hero’s name? What makes them special/What is their super power?

So, what we’ve heard today is that heroes all try to make the world a better place.

Today, our zero heroes are going to tell you about what’s going wrong with our world’s climate, how people around the world are trying to change it and what you can do to get involved and be a Zero Hero too!

Invite 8 volunteers to the front to display the causes of climate change cards. There are 4 pictures doubled up.

So, what is climate change?The earth’s climate is changing because of things people are doing to it.

Refer to the children holding the cards and display the picture as you talk.

For example, most of this country’s electricity is made by burning fossil fuels, like coal and gas. This puts harmful gases into the air and makes the world get hotter. This changes our climate.

Chopping down trees and using plastic destroys plants that soak up these harmful gases.

This will lead to more extreme weather, floods, droughts and storms as sea levels rise.

Does anyone know who this is? Pope Francis wrote a special letter called Laudato Si’, calling on us all to care for our common home. He says that climate change affects us all, but it is the poorest communities who suffer the most.

At CAFOD, we are working with communities around the world who are already being hit hard by climate change.

To stand the best chance of stopping the world overheating and the climate changing, we need to make a net zero world.

Optional net zero explainer film at https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Primary-teaching-resources/Zero-Hero

‘Net zero’ means keeping things in balance. It means reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gas we put into the atmosphere, and making sure that any gases we do release can be removed.

Turn over some reversible cards to balance causes and solutions. Stand in the middle of 8 children and make sure there are 4 on each side.Show the reverse of 4 cards as you turn them over.Use your arms as scales to show the imbalance and eventual balance.

So, we can balance out our climate change causes, with changes, like walking or biking rather than using the car, planting and protecting trees or cutting down our use of plastic.

We want the UK government to promise to not contribute to climate change.

We’re now going to have a look at some Zero Heroes around the world.

This is Peru. Peru is a country in South America. It has a lot of different types of land; mountains, deserts, rainforest and cities.

Lima is the capital of Peru. Although it is by the coast it is a very dry city. The north of the city is one of the most polluted districts, and also suffers from a lack of areas for children to play.

In the district though there is an area called the Lomas de Primavera, part of a chain of hills and mountains which are known as Lima’s green lung. Can anyone tell me what lungs do? That’s right help us to breathe.The plants and trees also soak up the harmful gases.

But this area is under threat from land traffickers, people who illegally sell the land to others, and mining companies who are trying to invade the area.

In several local schools there are eco-brigades, whose job is to be environmental leaders and protectors. They do a range of activities to protect the environment. By planting and protecting trees they are helping the planet breathe.

Do you have an eco-council or a green team here in school?

These Zero Heroes are involved in a project to clear space for a school garden, and to plant trees in the area. Remember we talked about the importance of trees for our climate earlier? This project will help protect the Lomas.

A group called the Pacific Climate Warriors are Zero Heroes too. They come from countries around the Pacific Ocean, like Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. With support from around the world they help and encourage young people in their communities and abroad to respond to climate change.

In the Pacific Islands, climate change is causing sea levels to rise and people’s land to be lost under water.

By talking to people in power, they try to protect the environment, both in the Pacific and around the world.

Joe says “This situation is urgent… We need young people, faith leaders, political leaders all working together.”

So we’ve heard about Zero heroes in Peru and the pacific Climate warriors. But there are Zero Heroes in the UK too! These children from St Peter’s School went to the Houses of Parliament in London to talk to the Government about net zero!

We can be Zero Heroes too. Does anyone have any ideas how?

Take ideas from around the room.

We can make changes in our lives such as walking to school instead of taking the car, turning chargers off when you are not using them. But together we can make an even bigger difference.

[Optional section can be taken out if doing workshop too]

We want you to join our Zero Hero campaign by creating a zero shape to show how you’re tackling climate change.

Once you’ve created your zero, you can talk to the people who have the power to change things. You can tell the Government! Contacting your local Member of Parliament (MP) and asking them to talk to the Prime Minister about climate change.

[If possible ask children to do a hero pose and take a photo]

Climate change is a big problem, and our beautiful world is changing.

But lots of people both in the UK and around the world are being Zero Heroes to try to make a difference.

By taking action we can help care for the wonderful world God gave us. We can also help the poorest people around the world, like those Pope Francis was talking about in Laudato Si’.

Let us celebrate the wonderful world God has given to all of us by saying this prayer together.

(After prayer)

Can you go home tonight and explain to someone why you want to be a Zero Hero and how they can be one too?

Thank you.