The Climate Change “ClimAX” event was an inclusive, interactive workshop designed to raise awareness of climate change through adapted sport and teamwork. By combining an accessible version of beach boccia with climate-change–related questions, the activity created a fun and supportive learning environment for participants with intellectual disabilities. The event aimed to strengthen collaboration, promote environmental understanding, and demonstrate how traditional sports can be creatively adapted to support inclusion and active learning.
Objectives:
- Strengthen teamwork by answering climate-change–related questions through an adapted game of beach boccia.
- Increase participants’ environmental awareness.
- Build understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change.
- Innovate by adapting boccia with beach tennis equipment.
- Promote inclusion by introducing individuals with intellectual disabilities to beach tennis boccia.
Desired outcomes:
- Participants will collaborate effectively to answer climate-related questions and complete boccia activities together.
- Participants with intellectual disabilities will leave with a stronger understanding of climate change, its causes, and its real-world impacts.
- Participants with intellectual disabilities will learn to think creatively and apply knowledge in an active, engaging setting.
- The use of beach tennis equipment will demonstrate how traditional sports can be modified for accessibility and fun.
- Participants with intellectual disabilities will gain exposure to beach tennis boccia in a supportive environment, helping build confidence, social engagement, and physical activity.
- Bringing diverse participants together will foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose around environmental awareness and inclusive sport
Description and Implementation:
In this activity, teams competed in an adapted version of boccia that combined physical skill with climate-change knowledge. The facilitator introduced the setup by creating three concentric scoring circles on the sand, with each circle offering different point values and representing an easy, medium, or high difficulty level. Participants were split into two teams, each provided with beach tennis rackets and balls. Players took turns throwing their ball toward the center. The circle where the ball stopped determined both the points earned and the difficulty of the climate-change question they needed to answer. Correct answers awarded additional points. This blended challenge of accuracy and environmental knowledge encouraged teamwork, strategic thinking, and climate awareness in a fun, inclusive setting.
Feedback:
The activity was very engaging, and it was wonderful to see that the questions were thoughtfully adapted to be accessible for participants with intellectual disabilities. Everyone was able to contribute, feel included, and enjoy both the game and learning about climate change.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
The Climate Change “ClimAX” workshop proved to be a highly effective and engaging approach to combining environmental education with inclusive physical activity. Participants demonstrated strong teamwork, increased confidence, and a deeper understanding of climate change concepts, often exceeding initial expectations. The positive outcomes highlight the value of adapting sports-based activities for accessibility and learning, offering important insights for the wider STELLA project. Future activities can build on this experience by further diversifying challenges while maintaining accessibility, ensuring meaningful participation and sustained engagement for all learners.