From learning about the world to investigating how it works
Karim Zouhdi
Founder, Eco Heroes · eco-heroes.org
One question from one child
A simple idea
Children should not only learn about sustainability. They should be able to investigate it, experience it and act on it.
Built on experience
We have more than 20 years helping public and private institutions translate the UN Sustainable Development Goals into concrete action. Eco Heroes brings that work to the next generation.
Not a concept starting from zero
- Books Written and illustrated by prize-winning authors and artists
- Missions Real-world challenges, one for each SDG
- Digital platform Adventure game, trivia challenge, progress tracking
- TV format In development, bringing real questions to family audiences
- Teacher resources Lesson plans and handbooks for ages 9–12 and 13–17
The books are the entry point, not the end product.
From TV to classroom to real life
Each part does one job well
TV programme
creates curiosity
Stories, people, places and challenges bring real-world questions to children and families.
Eco Heroes Experience
turns curiosity into participation
Children investigate, meet people who know the subject and take on missions.
School programme
gives teachers structure
Lesson plans, handbooks and a clear method that fits into existing teaching.
Family dimension
carries learning beyond the classroom
Missions are designed to be discussed and acted on at home.
The TV format offers reach. The school and Experience components provide depth and measurable participation.
Information fades. Questions travel.
A child who has investigated something comes home with a question, and that question gives the whole family a reason to engage.
Knowledge children could not otherwise reach
Eco Heroes provides
- The narrative and pedagogical framework
- Books, digital content, missions and teacher resources
- Experience design and delivery in schools
- A way to make complex systems clear to children
A partner could contribute
- Expertise and real-world questions
- People and perspectives children rarely meet
- Real contexts, places and systems
- Links to schools and community networks
A partner does not need to become the subject of every story. The value lies in opening doors to how our societies actually work.
A focused pilot, measured with care
The pilot
- A limited number of schools
- A small set of carefully designed missions
- Real-world participants from the partner
- Clear baseline before the activities begin
What we will measure
Not another one-off sustainability campaign. Evidence first, then scale.
One educational IP, many real-world contexts
Stays the same
The Eco Heroes IP, method, mission framework and evaluation approach
Adapts locally
Themes, examples, language, partners, schools and real-world participants
Grows the reach
The TV format opens a further route to scale; schools and the Experience provide depth
A founding partner, not simply a sponsor
A contribution need not be limited to funding. It could include:
What a founding partner gains
- A voice in shaping the format at an early stage
- Evidence of impact, not assumptions
- A meaningful role for its people and expertise
- A model built to grow across countries and media
Meeting the real world behind the questions
Eco Heroes is not meant to be another generic sustainability communication project. The ecosystem around the 17 SDGs already helps children move from understanding to action. What we are building now is an experience where children meet the real people, places, organisations and systems behind the questions they are learning about.
Shall we explore it together?
We would welcome a conversation about whether there is a meaningful way to develop and test this model together, starting with a focused pilot.