Creating educational content that also entertains

While teaching, I met my co-founder, who I decided to start a social media channel focusing on science, environment and sustainability topics. I saw this as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the mass audience and the environmental community, using social media as an outreach tool. While it isn’t uncommon to find educational channels online, most of them were not local or regional channels, so I was very excited to start one in Singapore and reach out to local and international audiences. I also saw this as a chance to introduce a different type of content that isn’t the usual lifestyle or comedic content that we all so often consume.

We initially saw this as a passion project and did not give much thought to it, but our channel grew rapidly to more than 100,000 followers in less than two years. People found our content refreshing, as we were able to combine both education and entertainment in an accessible, palatable manner for the social media audience. What started as a serendipitous decision eventually became a critical turning point in my life, where I decided to work on my channel full-time.

Two years in, we have a small team to produce educational videos daily. We also conduct physical programmes, such as nature-guided tours, workshops and learning journeys, bringing hundreds of people closer to nature every month.

Read more: Robert Swan and his son Barney on embracing adventure, fighting climate change and braving polar expeditions

Why climate conferences still matter

Last year, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a partner of the Singapore Pavilion for Cop28 in Dubai to create content for the Singapore audience. Cop28 is a global, climate change conference where governments discuss and negotiate how to limit, tackle and prepare for future climate change. This was a pivotal moment for me not only as a science communicator but also as a youth in the environmental scene. 

I saw how climate issues were being discussed at a global level, observed international climate negotiations and understood Singapore’s role in one of the biggest climate conferences in the world. And I got the chance to give a presentation about my work to people from all walks of life at the Singapore Pavilion.

I also worked with other youths who attended Cop28 as part of the Climate Youth Development Programme and learned how each of them has been contributing in their way. I admit that I did not understand the purpose of spending so much time and resources for a big conference such as Cop28 initially, but seeing how my fellow youths and I have grown in the months of preparation and during the conference itself, now I do.

Cop28 highlights the reality of our pragmatic world: National interests will take precedence and no country will wholeheartedly commit to ambitious climate goals unless they perceive tangible benefits. Effective international cooperation demands a careful balancing act that demonstrates how climate action can align with, and even enhance, a country’s broader objectives, fostering a shared sense of responsibility for the well-being of the planet among diverse nations.

Read more: Cop28: What did young leaders in Asia really think about it?

The climate impact on youths

As youths, we sometimes get carried away by what we are passionate about. This might cause us to have a more narrow-minded view of certain issues, partly due to the lack of exposure to experiences outside of our own country. But to make effective contributions that can move the needle, we cannot be blinded by our beliefs and have to acknowledge the reality of how the world works.

“Why do youths care so much?”, you might ask. Well, young people have a long-term stake in the future of the planet and are directly impacted by the consequences of climate change. 

Read more: Rumah Group's Kathlyn Tan on following in her father's footsteps and building a responsible business

This became clear in May 2023, when Singaporeans started complaining on social media about how we have hit our highest daily maximum temperature of 37°C for the first in 40 years. What’s worse is that such extreme daily temperatures are only going to occur more frequently.

Climate impacts are not just limited to the weather. They affect our health, with the increased spread of diseases, and our finances due to the increase in living expenses and taxes that we have to pay to increase flood resilience and coastal protection. 

It is not unusual to find youths who aren’t keen to start a family because we are unsure of the state of the planet in the future. This is why youths care and why youths are so invested in climate action. But we cannot do it alone, and we shouldn’t be doing it alone.

How to encourage more youths to take action

Youths can play a key role in climate action, but we have to create an environment that is conducive to nurturing youths into sustainability leaders. It begins with integrating sustainability into the educational curriculum to foster a deeper understanding of environmental issues and instil a sense of responsibility for the planet. 

I wouldn’t have started on my environmental journey if I hadn’t participated in that one science camp in my junior college years, which, by the way, was an internal programme that was not part of our official science curriculum. 

We also have to change the narrative that youths can only create an impact if they are in the sustainability and environmental industry because that could not be further from the truth.

Read more: Eco-activists and sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang on dealing with setbacks and armed resistance

Achieving environmental sustainability is the destination, but the journey of sustainable development is something we can all adopt and integrate as part of our everyday lives.

From my previous work as a science teacher and my current work on social media, I realise that every single one of us can create an impact in the work that we do, regardless of whichever industry we are in. Granted, some might have a bigger impact than others, but this is a problem that requires collective action, and our voices will only be stronger when we can grow the community. Everyone has to start somewhere, so if not now, when? 

Read more: Meet Khairun Nisa Zabidi, the environmentalist tackling climate change with innovation

We have to build a supportive ecosystem for youths that combines education, mentorship and ownership of their work. For example, providing youths with the opportunity to attend Cop28 can be an invaluable experience that can help us foster a generation of passionate and informed group of future leaders.

As the Chinese saying goes, “It takes ten years to grow trees, but a 100 years to cultivate a person.” Investing in youths is investing in the future because combating climate change is a marathon and not a race. We have to stand alongside youths and take collective ownership of our environment. The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.

I’ll end this article with an excerpt from the book, The Things You See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim, which a fellow youth shared with me at Cop28: “Historically, the people who bring about change in society tend to be not the middle-aged but the passionate youth. Their hearts are sensitive to the plight of the oppressed. Their spirits stand tall against injustice and fight for the voiceless. Hold on to that youthful heart and spirit no matter how old you are.”

Kong Man Jing is the face of the educational channel, Just Keep Thinking, which has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and YouTube collectively. In her signature black spectacles and yellow dress, she explains topics on science, biodiversity and sustainability through videos to audiences both young and old.  

This opinion piece is part of a two-part series on effective climate storytelling by Woo Qiyun (@TheWeirdandWild) and Kong Man Jing (@JustKeepThinkingSG), young advocates using social media to communicate complex issues around the environment, sustainability and climate change. Read Woo’s thoughts on how we can talk about science and sustainability better here.

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