The Repsol Foundation launches Zinkers Primary with content on energy and climate change adapted to the new education act

This new academic year, primary and secondary teachers can now work with their students on the energy transition with the Repsol Foundation Zinkers program. The big news is the launch of Zinkers Primary, which coincides with the rollout of the new Education Act's new cross-disciplinary pillar on Ecological Transition and the 2030 Agenda for this educational period.

This digital educational project allows teachers to flexibly teach using classroom resources on topics related to energy, climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), air quality, sustainable mobility, and the circular economy.

The content, organized in structured educational programs, is available for free in various formats, such as videos, training clips, infographics, presentations, and activities. They are based on the idea of rigor and technological neutrality for confronting the challenge of the energy transition and promote learning in the technical scientific field among youngsters, with the aim of arousing their interest in the STEAM disciplines.

It is a blended-learning initiative that combines digital content and activities structured around group work in the classroom, allowing students to put their creativity, communication, and teamwork expertise to work in the classroom. In addition, the materials are very flexible. The teacher can organize their own learning schedule and adapt the lesson plans and learning objectives of their classes.

Several experts in education contributed to the design of this project, including Chema Lázaro and Javier Espinosa, both winners of the Spanish National Prize for Education, and Juan Núñez, an educator specialized in educational innovation. The project has also been developed with the collaboration of Repsol's expert professionals in the energy, innovation, and sustainability fields.

Repsol Foundation Zinkers is also available through the Microsoft Teams educational platform, which is implemented in 156 countries and is used in over 3,400 schools in Spain.

Zinkers Primary

Its more than 60 varieties of available curricular content will allow students to understand the present by learning from the past and help build a more sustainable future. The educational project is adapted to each primary course and allows teachers to work in a cross-curricular manner in different subjects such as natural sciences, social and civic values, social sciences, Spanish, mathematics, and visual arts.

The students, led by two characters, Jaime and Laura, will travel through time observing the different types of energy that humanity has used throughout history, with the aim that through their actions, they can help to meet environmental objectives set in the 2030 Agenda.

Zinkers Secondary

The program offers teachers a dynamic and interactive format for discussing key subjects for the future like energy challenges, the differences between climate change and air quality, and sustainable mobility. It is structured in five chapters (energy, climate change and air quality, sustainable mobility, energy model design via a simulator, and final impressions) that the teacher can work on from different science subjects, like physics and chemistry, technology, biology, and geography in a flexible and independent way according to the classroom’s needs.

The activities are guided by Álex, a young university student that needs the students’ collaboration to complete a series of challenges related to two Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in the framework of the 2030 Agenda: Affordable and clean energy (SDG7) and Climate Action (SDG13). At the end of the program, participants must present their conclusions and draft a manifest as a group, encouraging critical thinking and making them participants in the challenges of the future.

Since its launch in 2020, more than 900 teachers have taught this content to more than 18,000 secondary school students.

Education for the energy transition

This initiative is rooted in the Repsol Foundation's strategy focused on the energy transition and society and addresses its commitment to education and rigorous knowledge to face the challenges of the future in the field of energy and climate change.

Furthermore, the Repsol Foundation maintains a collaboration agreement with Microsoft to help raise awareness among children and young people about the importance of using energy efficiently and fostering their critical attitude. Both companies collaborate in spreading knowledge and training on energy and energy transition in the educational environment and aim to make this knowledge reach students in the best way possible, preparing them to create a more sustainable future with the use of technology.

In addition, for the development and application of this educational program, we are working together with the Education Departments of different Autonomous Communities and entities such as CICAE (Association of Private and Independent Schools).