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Description
In Romanian schools, environmental and sustainable development education is not part of the compulsory curriculum. At the same time, more than two thirds of young people believe that the number one priority for EU action over the next ten years should be protecting the environment and combating climate change.
In the absence of systematic education efforts by the authorities, citizens'' interventions in this regard depend more on arbitrary circumstances: the good chance to live in a community with access to educational opportunities, to learn in school to take care of the environment or to be part of a family that can prioritise this aspect of education.
The intervention takes place in two stages. In the first stage, students are educated through a series of workshops, having the opportunity to discuss and debate the initiatives they themselves propose.
In the second stage, a study visit to Ciugud (an example of good practice) will be organised, so that students have the opportunity to get to know a community where local public authorities prioritise environmental protection. The project ends with a visit to the Green Mogo Energy Training and Advisory Centre and an exercise to formulate a national advocacy objective. The intervention is designed so that the young people involved in the project understand both their role and that of local public authorities in solving environmental problems in their community. The project partner, the Romanian Centre for European Policy, one of the oldest think tanks in Romania, will be involved in the educational activities of the project.
The target group of the project consists of 4 classes of technological high school, from Brănești (Ilfov county) and Lehliu-Gară (Călărași county), localities where the concern for the environment is not a priority neither of the authorities nor of the community.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the need for active involvement of young people in raising awareness about the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development at the local level, while also promoting the concept of advocacy.
During the first phase, launch events took place in the targeted schools, with the participation of 200 students and 8 teachers. These events included film screenings and debates on ecological topics. Four educational workshops were organized, covering subjects such as environmental protection, sustainable development, dialogue and advocacy tools, and the identification of local environmental issues. The final workshop marked the beginning of the action phase, during which the young participants were divided into teams to develop civic action plans. In the second phase, a selection contest was held to choose four civic actions which were implemented by the students. For inspiration, a study visit was organized to Ciugud with the participation of tventy students and two teachers.
The project successfully increased the ecological awareness and education of the target group, enhanced young people''s advocacy and dialogue skills, and resulted in the successful implementation of four local civic initiatives. The beneficiaries of the project included students from Lehliu Gara and Brănești, the participating teachers, and community members.