10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

With the increasing influence of climate change on the environment, novel educational approaches become necessary. These should be aimed at providing youth with the competencies, knowledge, and attitudes to facilitate sustainable development. Furthermore, the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) emphasizes people-focused innovations, technologies, and inclusive participation in solving social problems. Despite the recently revised curriculum in Kenya, the current approach to climate change education remains theoretical, providing few opportunities for practical participation in citizen science, digital environmental monitoring, and climate action. This study proposes a practical framework for integrating citizen science in climate change education in Kenyan secondary schools. The framework encourages learners to participate in such activities as environmental observation, biodiversity monitoring, tree planting, waste audit, weather recording, climate adaptation projects with proper digital tools, utilizing indigenous knowledge systems. With the combination of theoretical lessons, community involvement, and modern technologies, the proposed framework seeks to promote climate literacy, critical thinking, environmental consciousness, and problem-solving skills among Learners. This study is based on the results of research related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), climate literacy, citizen science, and competency-based education, that proper integration of citizen science makes students active participants of climate resilience in local and national contexts instead of passive receivers of information. The suggested framework aligns with the Competency-Based Curriculum, Sustainable Development Goals, and goals of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, promoting inclusive innovation and sustainable change. Finally, the paper highlights the necessity for enhanced collaboration between schools, universities, local communities, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and environmental organizations to ensure practical climate change education and readiness of youth to become future environmental citizens.