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Description
The project Be Smart, Think Circular includes schools and target groups from disadvantaged geographical regions, draws on the experience of organizations involved with informal and formal education and environmental protection and on the opportunities of modern technology. The project aims at joining efforts to raise the awareness of adolescents about issues related to management of resources, recycling, circular economy and climate change. One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (4.7) is aimed at ensuring that all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development through education for sustainable development (ESD). This is the goal of the project, namely to introduce the concept of ESD in as many schools as possible across the country. A guide will be developed during the project with practical educational programmes and guidelines for innovative learning. What is more, the team plans also to study the experience of Norwegian schools and present it in the guide to help transfer it to Bulgaria. The planned activities include training of teachers to facilitate the use of the new experience, pilot testing and implementation of some of the educational campaigns and development of gamified lessons available online that can be promoted via virtual educational tournaments (including an international tournament). Tempo Foundation, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and the Poppals have a wide network of schools – partners across the country, which will further help the successful implementation of the educational campaigns and the multiplication of the outcomes.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to implement the concept of education for sustainable development in as many schools as possible in the country in line with the United Nations Development Goals by reaching as many teachers, schools and students as possible.
An interactive training program was developed on the topics of protection of the environment and the circular economy. Many schools outside Sofia were reached through the online tournaments. The program is available at https://b-smart.education/ along with five educational videos. A handbook has been developed - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aMwgdUBulSoT_2_bd9F4Lh7r2dRzkcpI/view, which includes Scandinavian practices for "learning in nature". There are over 1,600 downloads of the manual and the presentations from the site. 4 online trainings were held for teachers from different schools in the country. The recording of the teacher training is freely available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGajVmWvMb8
The project was nominated in the initiative of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation for 2022, and the nomination was supported by several teachers who participated in the campaigns and tournaments. The project reached a home for elderly people with mental disabilities who engaged in several challenges as part of their art therapy. The videos were watched hundreds of times and shared many times. Through the partnership with Ecopak, the audience of the project was expanded and parents and students were additionally engaged in the challenge. Thanks to the knowledge of the students and their successful performance in the tournaments, 5 non-governmental organizations and their causes were financially supported.
In several online trainings, teachers were introduced to non-formal learning methods, online tournaments and the handbook. The presentations were made available for free use by the teachers even after the completion of the project.
The project partner Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation systematized, simplified and modernized the content on the five environmental topics covered by the project. Popals LTD are exceptional IT specialists with experience in education, who made it possible to digitize and gamify the environmental content according to the needs of teachers and students. The Norwegian partner Green Business Norway helped immensely with the research of good practices from the donor country included in the project handbook and ensured a successful exchange trip to Norway.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner Green Business Norway helped immensely with the research of good practices from the donor country included in the project handbook and ensured a successful exchange trip to Norway.