FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS
About the Program
What is the study about?
Education for Ecological Transformation (E4ET) is an international, research-backed program run in partnership with researchers from the Max Planck Society (Munich) and the University of Innsbruck (Austria). It helps students understand climate change, reflect on their choices, and take meaningful action. Through interactive sessions and game-based learning, students explore how individual and collective decisions affect the planet and build confidence to become changemakers.
What will my child do during the sessions?
Students will participate in interactive activities, discussions, games, and short reflections designed to help them understand climate change, cooperation, and environmental decision-making. The sessions are activity-based and encourage students to think critically and work together.
Who will be running the sessions?
Sessions are facilitated by trainers from VentureVillage, in coordination with your child’s school. Facilitators are trained specifically in the E4ET curriculum and in working with students in a classroom setting.
Which students take part, and for how long?
Students from grades 6-8 will be participating in these sessions. The session will be conducted in two batches, and each batch will have sessions across three days.
What language will the sessions be conducted in?
The sessions will be conducted in both English and Malayalam.
Will this affect my child’s grades?
Sessions are held during a specific period and do not affect academic grades.
About the Research and Data Collection
What is the purpose of the data collection?
The data from the program will be used to conduct a research study to understand children’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding the environment and climate change.
Is participation voluntary?
Yes. You can decide to stop participating at any time. If you sign the consent form but later decide you don’t want to continue, just let us know, and we will remove your data from the study.
Can I change my mind after I’ve already signed the consent form?
Yes, you can withdraw at any point during the program, for any reason, without needing to explain why.
If I want my child to stop participating in the study, whom should I inform?
Please write to us at e4et@venturevillage.world.
What personal data will reach the researchers?
As little as possible. All survey data is stored using an anonymous code, so researchers never see personal identifying information, which includes things like name and year of birth.
If data is anonymised, why is my child’s name collected at all?
VentureVillage collects it only to manage attendance and participation. Your child’s name is never shared with the researchers. It is stored securely in our database and deleted after 5 years. Write to us at e4et@venturevillage.world if you’d like to know more.
How will my child’s data be used?
Your data will only be used for this study and will not be shared with third parties. Fully anonymised data may be made available to other researchers to support verification of the study’s findings, in line with standard scientific publishing practices.
Will my child’s data be used for commercial purposes?
No. It is never shared with third parties and is used solely for academic purposes. The data will not be used for any marketing purposes and will be handled ethically.
Are photos or videos taken during sessions, and how are they used?
Yes, photos and videos may be taken for internal documentation/reporting and will also be shared on our official website/social media pages. If you wish for your child to be excluded from this, write to us at e4et@venturevillage.world.
Why is there a question in the baseline survey about how easy it is to talk to parents/guardians/friends? What will you do with this information?
This question simply helps us understand how comfortable your child feels discussing concerns related to environmental and climate change. Like all data collected, it is used only for this study and for no other purpose.
Will you still use my child’s data if I don’t consent to them being in the program?
No. We only share a child’s data with researchers when we have received consent from a parent or guardian.
Participation and rewards
Will we get paid to participate?
There is no payment to participate. However, students stand a chance to win prizes and vouchers. In one of the sessions, where the students work on the endline survey, they take part in two short activities in which they make decisions about how to allocate a small amount of money (for instance, how much to keep for themselves versus how much to share with others). What they earn depends on the decisions they make in these activities. Students can earn vouchers of value between 0 and 700 Rupees. This is paid as Amazon vouchers, not cash.
Will my child get a certificate of participation?
Yes. Every participating student receives a personal e-certificate recognising their engagement and commitment.
Funding and after the study
Where does the funding for the study come from?
The study is financed by the Max Planck Society.
Will we get to know the results of the study?
Yes, a summary of findings will be shared with participating schools once the study concludes. You may contact your school to obtain a copy.
Who can I contact with other questions?
Write to us at e4et@venturevillage.world if you have any further questions. We are happy to help you.