Place: Institute for Integral Development and Environment, Domzale, Slovenia.
Target Groups: Kindergarten, primary and secondary school children (3-18 years)
Introduction: The Tree of Promises to Mother Earth is made of paper and other waste material. It has many branches to accommodate the leaves of promises - leaf-shaped pieces of paper on which children from all over Slovenia can write their promises about the sort of things they can and will do in their daily life to protect the environment. However, The Tree of Promises to Mother Earth also acts as an umbrella for many different, on-going educational actions all over Slovenia, with the World Environment Day acting as a focus for a common celebration.
Objectives: The purpose of this project is to make children/adults pause to think about the little things each one can do every day for the protection of the environment and to express these thoughts in the form of promises. It is important that the promises be realistic and that each one - pupil, teacher, parent and the class as a whole - do everything to keep them.
Resources: Resource persons included teachers for kindergarten, primary and secondary schools from all over Slovenia. The main celebration on 5 June 1997 was sponsored by the Open Society Institute, the Regional Environmental Center, Eco Counseling Europe and other sponsors from the industry.
Methodology: A short pamphlet with instructions - general guidelines for teachers - was sent to all kindergartens and schools in Slovenia, inviting them to participate in this project. The action is partly integrated in the regular school work and at times is the main topic in some classes. Some children write promises in the form of poems while others discuss their promise with their parents and write essays on what they have learned. Some learn all about paper making while preparing their paper leaves - specially in kindergartens. Most schools make trees of various recycled materials, some exhibiting them in public places. Some organize various cleaning and planting actions in their communities. One secondary school organised a public event asking local politicians to write down their promises. The central celebration is a public event when we try to reach out to the public through different media. Last year we involved the radio interviewing the main broadcasting service and had several articles in the press. This year we invited 3 pupils and a mentor from each of the 13 schools and kindergartens which presented the most interesting work to participate in the celebration of the World Environment Day at the Slovenian Parliament where the children's work was exhibited, problems of promise-keeping discussed and book rewards given to children for their school libraries.
Evaluation: No formal evaluation was done but the feedback received from teachers, pupils and the public was highly encouraging.
Results: Around 4,000 pupils from 32 schools all over Slovenia participated in the 1996 action. This year we received works and reports from over 50 schools but the actual number of participating schools is much bigger as many schools who participated did not send us materials. Some of the results - as well as visual materials - can be visited on our home page http:www.ljudmila.org/ee.icro
| Sent by:Marta Vahtar, Institute for Integral Development and Planning, Savska 5, 1230 Domzale, Slovenia. Tel/Fax:++386-61-711-935. |
Place: Khonoma, Nagaland, north-east India.
Target Group: The project seeks to involve primary and secondary school children from eight schools, health workers, church office bearers, villagers and representatives of student unions.
Introduction: The north-eastern region of India is one of the richest areas both in terms of biodiversity and multiplicity of tribes. Alongside is a rich reservoir of indigenous knowledge (IK). Much of the IK, based on the sustainable use of environmental resources traditionally accessible to the communities is lost. Causes for this loss can be due to various factors like absence of documentation, marginalisation, devaluation and displacement of IK due to advent of 'modern knowledge', and erosion of access of communities to these resources. To counter these threats, the first necessary action is to revive and reinforce awareness of IK and its relation with biodiversity.
Objectives: The project aims to help school children in understanding and recording the traditional wisdom of their communities and families and its relation to the local environment and biodiversity.
Resources: Financial resources from the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Resource persons from the Centre for Environment Education and Environmental Society of Nagaland.
Methodology: Children from the identified schools working under the guidance of their teachers and resource persons had over the past six months documented IK covering various heads: health care systems, eco-indicators, local flora and fauna, food habits, costume and weaving practices, housing architecture and materials used, handicrafts, local beliefs and proverbs. The documentation was done on a questionnaire developed by the villagers in their own dialect. Field work consisted of collection of samples wherever appropriate.
Evaluation: A group of experts from the area evaluated the work done by each group of children with their resource person. The best team was invited to present its findings at a national seminar and awarded a prize for its work.
Results: The keen interest shown not only by the participating groups but the entire village on the need to preserve IK was a proof of the success of the enterprise. The villagers were not only made aware of the role of the environment in their lives, but more especially of the importance of handing down their knowledge to the younger generations in order to preserve it and find ways of using the local natural resources in a sustainable manner.
| Sent by: Kenneth M. Pala, Programme Officer, Centre for Environment Education, North East Regional Cell, K.K. Bhatta Road, Chenikhuti, Guwahati 781 003, Assam, India. Tel:91-364-56.53.82 Fax:91-364-56.59.14. |
Place: Caltanissetta Provincial Hall, San Cataldo Town Hall and Marianopoli Town Hall, Sicily.
Target Group: Primary and secondary school students and teachers.
Introduction: The area near the town of San Cataldo in Central Sicily is full of woodlands. In 1992, the World Wide Fund (WWF) section of Caltanissetta and another local NGO proposed setting up a natural reserve in the woods of Mimiani, Mustigarufi, Gabbara and Quartarone.
Objectives: The aims of this project are:
Resources: Financial: through the San Cataldo City Council and the Caltanissetta Provincial Council. Human: Local WWF volunteers.
Methodology: A four-year study of the woods was carried out and a project was elaborated by WWF official, Dr Valerio Cimino, involving principals of local schools and civic authorities. WWF produced a book as well as audio-visual materials on the subject which were first presented to the local population and teachers by means of an introductory lecture followed by discussion. A copy of the book was then sent to all the primary and secondary school students ((1,200) of San Catalino and a projection of the audio-visual materials arranged, followed by discussion. Class work and questionnaires marked the end of the first part of the project. The second part consisted of an exhibition of thematic maps and photographs of the area which was held in the three towns. Finally, a brochure of the exhibition was produced and widely distributed.
Evaluation: The efficiency and usefulness of the methods used was tested by means of an evaluation questionnaire that was given to the students to fill in.
Results: Thanks to the workshops, lectures and exhibitions, students discovered the real value of the woods nearby and started cooperating with WWF for its protection. The general population as well has shown great interest in the conservation of nature in general and of the woods in particular.
| Sent by: Valerio Cimino, Responsible of the WWF Section of Caltanissetta,c.so Sicilia 118, 93017 San Cataldo (CL), Italy. E-mail: cimino.v@inforservizi.it |
Readers are invited to send us their FIELD experiences inScience, Technology, Environmental Education (STEE) activities involving the teaching/learning process - but not necessarily limited to students and teachers. They should be as brief as possible and set under the following headings: Place: Locality where the activity was carried out Target Groups: For whom the activity was intended Introduction: Background information - reasons for initiating the activity Objectives: What was the activity expected to achieve? Resources: Materials/funds needed for the activity Methodology: The way in which the activity was carried out Evaluation: How was the activity judged? By whom? Results: Did the activity produce any concrete changes in the target group(s)? Selected experiences will be published together with the name and address of the author. Please address your contributions to: Doing it and Telling it |