SEED begins 17th year with focus on cyber safety and climate learning
In a quiet corner of the Mathrubhumi Media School campus, a powerful story of sustainability, awareness, and transformation unfolded on June 23 as the ‘Train the Trainer’ session of the SEED project – Mathrubhumi’s flagship student eco-club initiative – marked the beginning of its 17th academic year. With an impressive 16-year journey behind it, the SEED (Student Empowerment for Environmental Development) project is no longer just a green campaign; it has evolved into a movement that connects children, educators, experts, and communities under the shared vision of building an environmentally conscious generation.
The day-long session gathered school coordinators, resource persons, and facilitators for a meticulously curated training experience designed to refresh their engagement with students for the upcoming academic year.
Revamping environmental engagement for the digital age
The mood was reflective, but also energised by the evolving themes the SEED project is embracing in the context of a rapidly changing world. No longer limited to planting saplings and cleaning campuses, the new SEED programme includes modules on digital literacy, personal security in the cyber world, climate patterns, and mental health awareness — proving that the environment today is as much about the mind and data as it is about land and trees.
Spotlight on cyber safety for students
The morning kicked off with a compelling and much-needed session on Cyber Security Awareness. Shiju A R, Sub-Inspector of Police at Cyberdome, Kochi, and his colleague Sreekanth T S, Civil Police Officer, brought to the fore a topic rarely discussed in environmental forums: the digital dangers children face every day.
From online scams and identity theft to cyberbullying and data misuse, the officers took the audience through real-life cases that served as cautionary tales. Their approach was both technical and empathetic — a vital balance when the audience includes educators who will soon become the first line of defence for children navigating the digital world.
Digital literacy: A new dimension of environmental education
The officers made it clear that school students, especially those who are digitally active and often unsupervised, are highly vulnerable to cybercrimes. Through an engaging mix of storytelling, statistics, and interactive quizzes, the trainers highlighted how important it is for adults to equip children not just with information, but with the digital instincts to protect themselves. For a generation born into devices, understanding passwords, privacy settings, phishing attacks, and the safe use of social media platforms is as essential as understanding biodiversity or climate change.
A broader definition of sustainability
What makes this shift particularly meaningful is that it reflects a broader understanding of sustainability — one that includes protecting the emotional and digital well-being of children. The SEED programme has shown remarkable agility in incorporating these new concerns into its ecological framework. It is no longer just a programme about planting trees; it is about planting ideas, nurturing awareness, and protecting both the environment and the human experience within it.
Looking back, moving forward
Initiating the new academic year, K C Krishna Kumar, Assistant Editor of Mathrubhumi Periodicals and one of the key mentors of the SEED initiative, offered a warm welcome and set the tone for the year ahead. In his address, he paid homage to the tireless efforts of hundreds of school teachers who have been the backbone of the SEED movement. Krishna Kumar reflected on the growth of the programme since its inception — a time when environmental awareness in schools was minimal, and when students did not have a dedicated platform to express their eco-ideas or initiate community-level actions.
Today, SEED functions in hundreds of schools across Kerala, and its success lies in how it has adapted to the times. What began as a campaign to inculcate habits of recycling and waste management now includes modules on climate tracking, bird watching, cyber safety, and even emotional well-being. Krishna Kumar pointed out how the SEED model is unique — it doesn't preach from the top; it evolves with its participants. “Every year, we learn from the students,” he said. “Their questions, their projects, and their worries help shape what SEED becomes next.”
Mental health matters in the eco-club framework
Another highlight of the session was the presentation by Adv. Aparna Narayan, a Resource Consultant associated with the Thanichalla project, which focuses on inclusive psychological and social support for students. Her interaction was a gentle yet powerful reminder of the emotional ecosystems within classrooms. Aparna shared strategies for talking to school children in ways that are open, non-judgemental, and empowering. She focused on how teachers and trainers can identify subtle signs of distress in children and guide them to appropriate help.
She also addressed the changing behaviour patterns among schoolchildren — increased digital dependence, attention issues, aggression, or withdrawal — and pointed out how many of these can be linked not only to screen time or peer pressure, but also to a deeper disconnect from nature and community. Her talk resonated with the core values of SEED — that well-being is holistic, and that helping students reconnect with the environment can be a first step in healing fractured inner worlds.
Reconnecting with nature through citizen science
As the session progressed into the second half of the day, the conversation moved into the realm of natural sciences, with Muhammad Nizar, Project Manager of SeasonWatch, taking the audience through a fascinating module on citizen science. SeasonWatch is a participatory phenology project that invites school children to observe and record changes in local tree species across seasons. Nizar demonstrated how this simple activity – watching when mango trees flower or banyan trees shed leaves – contributes to a national database that helps scientists track climate change in India.
He explained how climate variability is increasingly being seen in flowering and fruiting patterns across the country, and how students, with the help of teachers, can become the eyes and ears of this silent transformation. The power of the SeasonWatch model lies in its simplicity: it doesn’t require expensive labs or special equipment, just curiosity and regular observation. Nizar's presentation struck a chord with many participants, reminding them that science is not just something to be studied in books, but something to be lived, noted, and understood every day.
From small steps to large-scale change
The day ended with quiet conversations, shared smiles, and the rustle of notebooks being closed, but it also left behind the echo of new beginnings. For a project that began with modest ambitions — creating environmental awareness among school students — SEED today stands as a testament to how small ideas, when nurtured with consistency and purpose, can evolve into large-scale change movements.
Its success is not accidental. It is the result of vision, deep planning, media support, and the passion of hundreds of teachers and coordinators who carry the SEED message into their classrooms each year. With its roots deeply planted in Kerala’s soil and its branches reaching into new fields like digital safety, psychological support, and citizen science, SEED is preparing a generation not just to care about the planet, but to actively protect and understand it.
Sowing the seeds of empowerment and hope
At a time when climate anxiety, misinformation, and digital overload cloud the minds of the youth, SEED’s multi-dimensional approach is a breath of fresh air. It tells young people that they are not alone — that their actions, even the smallest ones, matter. Whether it is observing the change of seasons, securing their digital presence, or reaching out to a peer in distress, the SEED programme is equipping students not just with knowledge, but with agency.
As the trainers walked out of the Mathrubhumi Media School campus, ready to interact with their respective schools with fresh ideas and deeper commitments, there was a shared sense that this year’s SEED campaign would not just grow trees, but grow minds — curious, critical, compassionate minds that will shape the future not only of Kerala, but of the world.