Video resource for The climate emotions Toolkit
NEEF strives to support educators in helping students make sense of the world around them. Extreme weather isn’t just a science issue—it’s an emotional one too. This new animated music video is designed to help young people process emotions around climate change. The video is a creative complement to the Climate Emotions Toolkit—a larger project we developed with our partners to help teachers and students process those emotions and build resilience together.
Designed for educators, caregivers, and youth-focused groups, the video blends music, visuals, and story to validate emotional experiences and support conversations around self-care, community care, and climate action. It features original beats and visuals developed by youth artists from Kingmakers Music, in collaboration with NEEF, Hip Hop Public Health, and the Climate Mental Health Network.
Our partnership with Hip Hop Public Health means a lot to us. Together, we've created award-winning work like EMPOWER, and A Whole Lot builds on that success. It's fun, smart, and something different and exactly the kind of resource educators and practitioners can use to spark curiosity and start meaningful conversations with students. We’re proud to work with a team that shares our values and knows how to reach young people in fresh and effective ways.
Jada Lewis, Vice President, Programs, National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
Behind the Beat: The story of the song
Climate change affects young people’s emotional well-being every day. It can feel overwhelming and scary, but when students have the tools to talk about those feelings and take action, hope starts to grow. For this reason, NEEF partnered with the Climate Mental Health Network and Hip Hop Public Health to create these new resources to bring mental health into the climate conversation in a way that’s age-appropriate, empowering, and rooted in real-life experience.
Music has the power to educate, inspire, and connect. NEEF's partnership with Hip Hop Public Health has created award-winning content that resonates with young people. For this project, we wanted the track to be authentic and rooted in the voices of young people. To make that happen, we partnered with The Kingmakers—a group of young artists who lead with purpose. Their lyrics speak to real experiences and real emotions, bringing this message to life in a way that sparks conversations, builds connections, and inspires students both inside the classroom and beyond.
See how this video came together with our premiere of 'Behind the Beat':