Program to teach students about offshore wind energy and careers in the field
The KidWind Project, an international leader in clean energy education, is partnering with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to launch a comprehensive outreach program focused on offshore wind energy education. New Jersey has committed to transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2035, and this includes a goal of generating 11 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind energy by 2040. As part of NJEDA’s efforts to support the development of the Wind Institute for Innovation and Training, this partnership will provide robust offshore wind curriculum and training resources for K-12 New Jersey teachers. The Offshore Wind Energy K-12 Educational Outreach Project includes opportunities for New Jersey educators to get involved on a variety of levels, including an advisory panel, activity development, and teacher training.
“As many states look to transition to clean energy, we must ensure educators have the resources and knowledge to help students better understand offshore wind energy,” said Michael Arquin, founder of KidWind. “The level of investment in K-12 education by the NJEDA is the largest we have ever seen, and speaks to the importance of educating and developing a future workforce. We are excited to get to work!”
To kick off the partnership, KidWind and the NJEDA are launching an advisory panel composed of leading educators, offshore wind energy experts, government representatives, and teacher preparation programs. The members of the advisory panel will help guide the development of activities and outreach. For those interested in learning more about participating on this panel, they can sign up here.
This initiative also includes developing three activity guides designed for elementary, middle, high school, and career and technical educators that will include lessons exploring a variety of topics related to offshore wind energy. Activities will be aligned to New Jersey Student Learning Standards – including the state’s climate change standards – and teachers will have access to free training and resources to support executing these activities in their classrooms.
Trainings will start in summer 2023, and there will be a variety of training opportunities across New Jersey. This includes various half-day and full-day trainings to help educators bring these activities into their classrooms. KidWind will also host its annual 4-day training event, REcharge Academy, from July 31-August 3, 2023 at Stockton University in Atlantic City, New Jersey. NJEDA has funded scholarships for 30 New Jersey educators to attend this in-depth training, and educators can learn more here.
For more information about the New Jersey Offshore Wind Energy K-12 Educational Outreach Project, visit www.kidwind.org/sponsors/njeda.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
