RESOURCES

  • Guide to using G-WOW Model
  • Outreach Resources
  • How to create a G-WOW Institute
  • G-WOW News & Opportunities
  • Lesson Plans

G-WOW News & Opportunities

NEW MINISAN WEBSITE EXAMINES CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH OJIBWE PERSPECTIVES

The new Minisan website (www.minisan.org) gives an indigenous perspective on how climate change is affecting 12 ecosystems within the Lake Superior region and the Apostle Islands. Minisan means "islands" in the Ojibwe language. 

 

The website uses Ojibwe ecological knowledge to investigate how climate change is affecting the interconnectedness of the physical, plant, animal, and human worlds within each ecosystem. 

 

Ideas for taking climate action are based on recommendations based on indigenous knowledge while a section called "consider this" will challenge your thinking! 

 

The website features beautiful 360-degree images of each ecosystem and is embedded with Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe language) and culture.

 

Minisan builds on the G-WOW model of integrating indigenous knowledge for climate awareness and action. 

MAAWANJI’IDING GEKINOO’AMAAGEJIG (GATHERING OF TEACHERS) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CLIMATE CHANGE “TEACH-IN”

The 2022 Maawanji’iding gekinoo’amaagejig (Gathering of Teachers) Professional Development Climate Change “Teach-In” will be held on August 18, 2022 from 9 am- 3 pm at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Formal and informal community educators are welcome. Click here for agenda, stipend, and registration information. Registration deadline: July 15th.

 

This “teach-in” will develop your confidence and competency to teach about climate change by integrating Ojibwe traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with STEM-- no matter what grade or discipline.  


G-WOW CLIMATE MODEL PRESENTED AT NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES CONFERENCE

The G-WOW climate awareness model was presented at the "Science Denial" conference sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City on November 2, 2018 by Cathy Techtmann-University of Wisconsin-Extension Environmental Outreach Specialist. 

UW-STEVENS POINT "LAKE SUPERIOR: NATURAL RESOURCES, CLIMATE AND CULTURE FIELD COURSE"

The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point together with G-WOW partner organizations held a 5-day climate change field course based on the G-WOW model from Sept 13-17 2018. Twenty-one college natural resource majors and their instructors learned about how climate change is affecting the sustainability of natural resources we rely on for cultural and economic practices. The field course featured investigation of place-based strategies to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate within the Lake Superior region. For more information on this and other 2018 G-WOW based field courses, please visit https://fyi.uwex.edu/nglvc/whats-new/ 

NEW G-WOW WEBSITE DESIGN & UPGRADES

The G-WOW website has a new look and several new features that will expand its climate change curriculum and supporting resources. 

The G-WOW website features include a new curriculum unit called "Hear the Water Speak" the applies the G-WOW model to investigate the impacts of climate change on water. On the website's front page, clicking on the Hear the Water Speak icon that surrounds the G-WOW logo opens the new curriculum unit on water and climate change. Compare the new and old G-WOW logos to see these changes.

Several other new features and content sections of G-WOW website have been changed to improve functionality and access to more supporting resources. 

These G-WOW website upgrades are made possible thanks to grant support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the National Park Service-Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. 

NEW VIDEO: "CHANGING CLIMATE, CHANGING CULTURE… PLANNING A CLIMATE CHANGE INSTITUTE BASED ON THE G-WOW MODEL"

Click here to watch our new video and learn the nuts and bolts of using the G-WOW model to create climate change professional development training program that integrates culturally relevant place-based evidence of climate change with climate science.

This 25-minute video is divided into four vignettes: 1) Introduction, 2) Basics of Applying the G-WOW Model, 3) Developing a Climate Change Institute, 4) Guiding for Tomorrow. A separate video stream can be selected that includes audio captioning. 

Research has shown that formal and informal educators trained in using the G-WOW model have increased climate literacy, greater confidence in teaching about climate change, and ability to use the model to create culturally relevant climate outreach in communities they serve. 

This video was shot on location in Wisconsin's Lake Superior communities and tribal lands during the 2016 "Hear the Water Speak" G-WOW Climate Institute and is narrated by Patty Loew-Bad River Tribal Member. This project was made possible through a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant through the National Park Service-Apostle Island National Park.


2016 G-WOW "HEAR THE WATER SPEAK" INSTITUTE GOES INTERNATIONAL!

The 2016 G-WOW "Hear the Water Speak" Climate Institute hosted 28 educators and community leaders from across the county and Canada, including First Nations tribal elders. The four day professional development institute was held July 18-21 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, with experiential learning activities conducted within surrounding tribal communities and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The Institute provided training in using the G-WOW climate literacy model to integrate place-based evidence of climate change and traditional ecological knowledge of the Lake Superior Ojibwe with climate science. This year's focus was on climate impacts on water and aquatic ecosystems.  

The Institute's goal is to equip participants to develop culturally relevant climate change educational outreach within their community that will result in action to address climate change.

This year's Institute was professionally filmed with the goal of creating a training video that will help others to develop G-WOW institutes within their communities. The G-WOW web-based curriculum (www.g-wow.org) will be expanded to include a 5th curriculum unit on water and climate change.

This is the 5th year the Institute has been offered. Support for the Institute, training video creation, and website expansion is provided by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding through the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. 






G-WOW INITIATIVE FEATURED IN LAKELINES MAGAZINE

The G-WOW Initiative was featured in the Fall, 2015 edition of the North American Lake Management Society's "LakeLines" magazine. The article was titled "Don't Wait to Communicate About Climate Change" and was written by Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension Environmental Outreach Specialist and G-WOW team member.

G-WOW MODEL FEATURED ON THE US CLIMATE RESILICIENCY WEB SITE

The G-WOW model and educational initiative have been selected for inclusion in the US Climate Resiliency website as one of it's recommended tools. It has been given its own page which provides links to partner organizations and many other tribal climate change adaptation and action resources. This website is sponsored by NOAA.  Take a look at https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/g-wow-guiding-tomorrow-changing-climate-changing-culture-initiative

2015 G-WOW CHANGING CLIMATE, CHANGING CULTURE INSTITUTE JULY 13-16

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Who: This Institute content is designed for middle school and above classroom and community educators.

 

When: Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16 2015;
8 am – 5 pm (approx.) daily.

 

NEW IN 2015:  Friday, July 17th BONUS DAY at Fond du Lac Tribal Community College-Duluth, MN. Training from NASA on Climate Change Education Tools.

 

Where: The Institute is based at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, WI, with field trips to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and Lake Superior coastal areas including, lands of the Lake Superior Ojibwe.

 

What’s Included? Instruction, breakfast snacks, lunches, Monday evening cookout dinner, bus transportation to field sites, boat tours to Stockton Island and the Kakagon Sloughs, and supporting resources.

 

Participants will be responsible for:

  • Breakfast and Evening Meals, except for Monday evening BBQ cookout dinner. Light morning snacks are provided.

  • Lodging. A list of area lodging options is available upon request.

     

    Cost:  FREE.  Institute costs are supported by the WI Coastal Management Program, NOAA, and project partners.

     

    Stipend: A stipend up to $300  is available to all participants.

     

    Credit: Is available.

     

    Additional Benefits: Each participant will receive supporting resources.

     

    Detailed Agenda & Application Materials available @

http://fyi.uwex.edu/nglvc/cool-coasts/2015-g-wow-institute/