Communicating, educating and raising awareness on environmental matters is a very necessary tool in these times.. Environmental education not only has to inform, in some way it must also inspire communities to act and assume responsibility for caring for the environment. And for that, you have to be creative.
Fortunately, in the region, there are more and more experiences.
Catriel is a city marked by hydrocarbon activity and pollution in some sectors. To act locally, in recent years The “Ecological Leaders” project emerged.
This program, led by teachers Silvana Sepulveda and Silvana Areco of the Ecological Patrol Foundationseeks to empower young people so that they lead initiatives to care for the environment through artistic expressions that transmit messages about the importance of sustainable coexistence.
The “Ecological Leaders” project is structured in socio-environmental and artistic workshops aimed at all sixth grade students in Catriel primary schools.
Participants communicate environmental messages to their community through artistic interventions on the walls of their schools.
“The initiative encourages recipients, informed and aware of their local and global environment, to collectively generate a visual message that drives changes to improve the environment.”. This educational and artistic process promotes environmental awareness and community action, proposing solutions and making local problems visible,” explained Silvina Sepulveda, visual arts teacher and reference for the Kalfu Art Workshop in dialogue with Diario BLACK RIVER.
“The project is designed to generate a deep understanding of environmental problems, starting from our closest environment and from there to the globalto the. Through these activities, students not only learn about caring for the environment, but also develop skills to express their knowledge and concerns. That is, worry but also look for solutions and feel like a protagonist of change,” he said.
The first thing to take care of is the closest environment, and this project is very clear about it. The three primary schools involved are located in areas with different socio-environmental problems.
In the urban center, the Santa Cruz neighborhood and the former YPF neighborhood, there are microgarbage dumps, air pollution from burning waste and problems with sewers. “These challenges were presented during the workshops, and led to project presentations by each school, in the Deliberative Council and in the Municipal Executive Branch,” added Sepulveda.
There is no doubt that projects like this must multiply. This initiative seeks out children so that they can then take the lead and generate concrete actions, today and in the future.
The teachers’ task is to provide essential information about the state of the nearest place and the challenges it faces. In addition, they encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills and instill values of respect and care for nature, promoting sustainable attitudes and behaviors. The rest flows. The commitment is activated and the little ones assume leadership.
The project has the support of the Other Voices of Neuquén Foundation, the NGO Legislative Directory, the Democratic Change Foundation and the National University of San Martín, among others. The financing comes from the European Union.
