Climate Game Changers: Using Sport to Drive Climate Action in Zambia
A Commonwealth Sport Games Changers Grant project led by NOC/CGA Zambia
Certification ceremony — Kabulonga Boys Secondary School, Lusaka.
Total Participants Engaged
Certified Climate Ambassadors
Education Sessions Delivered
Weeks of Delivery (Mar–Jun 2023)
Project Overview
The Climate Action Ambassadors Training — branded "Climate Game Changers" — was a 5-week learning sprint delivered between March and June 2023, funded through the Commonwealth Sport Games Changers Grant. The project leveraged the unifying power of sport to raise awareness about climate change and promote environmental sustainability among young people across Lusaka.
As Project Lead and Communications Manager, I owned the end-to-end delivery — partner coordination, school engagement, brand identity, media relations, and the certification ceremony narrative — turning a grant brief into a flagship Commonwealth Sport case study.
Education First, Action Second
Across 15 sessions, students explored the causes and impact of climate change, solutions, advocacy and campaigning, and the role of the Commonwealth Sport movement in driving environmental change.
Each theoretical session was paired with a sport-based activity so participants could practise advocacy techniques in the same way athletes drill skills — making the learning stick.
Turning Awareness Into Long-Term Environmental Change
Behavioural Change Toward Sustainability
Participants adopted sustainable practices in their daily lives — reducing waste, conserving energy, and championing recycling within their schools and households.
Environmental Stewardship
The training instilled a deep sense of environmental stewardship, helping young people understand the interconnectedness between climate, community, and personal action — fostering a long-term commitment to protecting Zambia's ecosystems.
Sport as a Vehicle for Climate Advocacy
By integrating sport with climate education, the project reached audiences that traditional environmental campaigns often miss — turning playing fields into platforms for advocacy on causes, impact, and solutions to climate change.
Ripple Effect Across Communities
Certified Climate Game Changers carried the message back to peers, families, and broader networks — multiplying the project's environmental impact well beyond the original cohort.
Sport as a Platform for Climate Advocacy
Sport became the bridge — turning a global, abstract issue into something young people could feel, debate and own on the court and on the field.
This sport-first approach unlocked audiences traditional environmental campaigns rarely reach, and created lasting peer-to-peer momentum within schools and communities.
My Role: Project Lead & Communications
- ●Led end-to-end project management — from stakeholder planning meetings to delivery and reporting against the Commonwealth Sport grant framework.
- ●Managed all communications and media relations, securing coverage that positioned NOC/CGA Zambia as a leader in sport-driven sustainability.
- ●Built the "Climate Game Changers" brand identity, messaging framework, and campaign assets used across schools and partner channels.
- ●Coordinated high-profile partnerships including the British Council Zambia, District Education Board, and participating schools.
- ●Produced the certification ceremony narrative and stakeholder communications, culminating in 47 ambassadors being certified as Climate Game Changers.
The District Education Board Secretary for Lusaka District commended the project and called for it to be expanded across the entire district — a strong signal of its value in advancing climate change education through sport.
Commonwealth Sport identified the Climate Game Changers model as a scalable, replicable approach for other Commonwealth nations to deliver climate education alongside sport-based youth development.
Key Takeaways
Pair climate education with practical sport activities to cut through to youth audiences traditional campaigns miss.
Build the brand and narrative early — 'Climate Game Changers' became the rallying identity that gave the project visibility and ownership.
Invest in cross-sector partnerships (education boards, schools, British Council, Commonwealth Sport) to multiply legitimacy and reach.
Design for ripple effect: every ambassador certified is a multiplier for the message in their family, school and community.
Document and storytell relentlessly — strong communications turned a 5-week pilot into a model Commonwealth Sport now flags as scalable.
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