Action4Climate
Overview
Action4Climate (European Active Citizenship for Climate Action) is a youth-focused project that builds climate literacy and encourages young people to act. It scales up Acción por el Clima, an initiative launched in 2019 by Fundación Hazloposible, which coordinated the project.
The Mediterranean already shows clear signs of climate vulnerability, so the partners worked with young people, youth workers and local organisations in Spain, Cyprus and North Macedonia. Between October 2024 and March 2026, Fundación Hazloposible, the Youth Employment Training Foundation (Cyprus) and SmartUp combined education, research and community engagement to counter climate disinformation and support green initiatives.
SmartUp led the data storytelling work. We developed a participatory methodology that equips young people and youth professionals to find reliable climate data and turn it into stories people can relate to, and we supported the project’s educational materials, events and communication.
The challenge
Climate disinformation
Misleading claims about climate change spread easily online, and young people often meet them before they meet the facts.
Data that does not reach people
Climate data is usually published in technical formats that put off a general audience, so accurate information is rarely shared or acted on.
Few practical routes to action
Young people who care about the climate often lack tools and examples that show how to turn an idea into a small green project.
A vulnerable region
Spain, Cyprus and North Macedonia sit in a part of the Mediterranean where climate impacts are already visible, which makes climate literacy among younger generations a priority.
Activities and methods
The project was organised in four work packages. SmartUp led the datatelling methodology and contributed to the other three, working with youth workers, young people and environmental experts through co-creation, testing and feedback.
What SmartUp did
- Mapped climate disinformation. We reviewed fake news and misinformation about climate change and science among European communities, with a focus on how it reaches young people, to shape the methodological approach.
- Developed the Datatelling Methodology. A step-by-step guide to finding and verifying reliable climate data, choosing a narrative structure, visualising the data and publishing the story, with templates, worksheets and exercises. It draws on case studies from North Macedonia, Spain and Cyprus, including the #SkopjeSeZagreva climate data platform.
- Tested it with practitioners. Youth professionals and data specialists, including youth workers, teachers and trainers, tested the guidelines and gave feedback before the final version.
- Supported young people to tell their own stories. Young learners and leaders were trained to record short video stories about climate action using free tools, creating role models for their peers.
- Contributed to the wider project. We supported the open educational resources on sustainability co-created with youth workers and tested with young people aged 18 to 35, the Climathon event in Cyprus, and the project’s website, campaign content and video documentary.
Methods
The work is participatory by design. Materials were co-created with the people who would use them, tested in workshops and training sessions in North Macedonia, Cyprus and Spain, and improved from the feedback. Everything is built around fact-checking: every story starts from verified data.
Gallery
Outputs
Project website
View resourceProject video
Watch on YouTubeAction4Climate Datatelling Methodology
A step-by-step guide, developed by SmartUp, to finding and verifying climate data and turning it into fact-based stories. Includes case studies from North Macedonia, Spain and Cyprus, plus story templates, worksheets and exercises.
Download action4climate-datatelling-methodology.pdfPlanning similar work?
SmartUp can support research, co-creation, facilitation, digital tools, implementation, or learning documentation for related programmes.