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GEEP Asia Pacific Forum. It’s time to join!

Join the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) from November 30—December 2, 2021, for a three-day forum designed to explore and strengthen environmental education in the Asia Pacific region.

This virtual forum is free and open to anyone who is interested in the power of environmental education in creating a sustainable future. Participants will have a chance to hear from leading environmental education experts and network with others from the region who are advancing key environmental and social issues. There will also be opportunities for networking with environmental education professionals from across the region to learn, share, and strengthen collaboration.

This Forum will explore:

  • How environmental education can help address large-scale environmental and social issues, including climate change, social justice, biodiversity loss, civic engagement, and ocean literacy;
  • The role of networks, and how to build stronger regional and country-level networks that strengthen the impact and promote collaboration across borders and sectors; and
  • How we can build leadership in the region and transition to a more just and sustainable future.

FORUM HIGHLIGHTS

The 2021 GEEP Asia Pacific Forum will offer inspiring, thought-provoking plenaries and interactive concurrent sessions exploring a wide range of topics, along with great opportunities for networking, growth, and change. Registration also includes on-demand access to all recorded sessions through April 2022. To learn more, explore our Forum schedule and featured speakers.

Register here.

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Earth Prize: registration deadline extended to November 30th

Due to the overwhelming positive response and the significant number of requests for more time to sign up,  the Earth Foundation has decided to extend the registration deadline for the competition by one full month.

The new deadline to register is Tuesday, November 30th.

Students and supervisors will now have until the end of next month to:
– Register individually on the website to access all their learning content and mentorship.
–  Create (for supervisors) and join (for students) their teams.
–  Complete and submit their team motivation letter and a problem definition form, which will grant teams access to the Submissions Phase of The Earth Prize.

All participants will then have until January 31st, 2022 to submit their ideas for the competition.

Remember: if you pre-registered back in the summer, you will still need to register officially on the Earth Prize website by November 30th in order to compete for The Earth Prize.

The teachers who have registered already can send the school’s logo so it can be featured on the Participating Schools page on The Earth Foundation’s website. You can send it directly to info@theearthprize.org
If you still have questions regarding the competition,  you check out the webinar here, where you can hear directly from participating teachers about their experiences with The Earth Prize thus far.

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WEEC 11: field sessions and abstract submission deadline

In addition to 12 thematic parallel sessions in Prague Congress Centre, the WEEC offers you 10 practical field sessions in 9 Czech environmental education centres (on-site program). The host centres will serve as case studies for particular topics discussed during the workshop-style sessions.  

  • 4 field sessions will take place in Prague, 6 in the environmental education centres out of Prague, which also offers you a great opportunity to explore the host country. 
  • 5 field sessions include overnight followed by a trip with local environmental educators. 

You will thus have a great opportunity to explore landscapes, landmarks and tastes of Bohemian Paradise, Moravian karst, Krkonoše mountains, Brno and Bohemian – Moravian highland.

Explore our field sessions: 

1. Inquiry-based environmental education

2. Participative approaches in environmental education at schools

3. Schools as environmental campaigners

4. Animal farming in environmental education and animal welfare concerns

5. Folk traditions and traditional crafts in environmental education

6. Learning by Nature

7. Alienation from nature

8. Nature and Community as the Best Classrooms

9. EE in modern ZOO

10. School gardens and school forests 

 

Abstract submission deadline:
30th November 2021
 

 

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11th WEEC: Not sure about COVID and travel? Join us in building bridges online

The 11th WEEC, as the first in its history, is applying the hybrid conference format. As a result, participants may choose between online and onsite participation. In light of the changing pandemic situation, participants may register either online or onsite and switch between these modes until the end of December 2021.

What does online participation look like?
As an online participant 
⦁ You can actively participate by submitting your presentation or participating without a presentation
⦁ You can choose whether to introduce your presentation in one of the virtual rooms in real-time and get immediate feedback or just upload it on the virtual platform and discuss it on the discussion forum
⦁ You will have access to the virtual platform with all of the ongoing online presentations and workshops, streamed onsite plenary sessions, and recordings of the parallel sessions (both online and onsite)
⦁ You can discuss selected topics with all of the WEEC participants
⦁ You can access the virtual platform up to one year after the closing of WEEC

The online presentation is reasonable if you want to be a part of WEEC but cannot come to Prague. Let’s join online!

Any questions about the online WEEC?
Contact Jan at cincera@mail.muni.cz

Abstract submissions close: 30th November 

Due to the covid’s situation, this time WEEC gives you the chance to choose between online and onsite participation

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From North to South of Globe: events and activities around the world for the EE Day

The fourth edition of the WorldEnvironmental Education Day took place from 14 to 26 October 2021.  The Weec Network invited all the stakeholders of the environmental education to join the World Environmental Education Day organising special events to highlight the importance of environmental educational actions all over the world.

Here are some of the Earth Day celebrations

In Portugal took place “Emc2”, an educational project that involved  100 students aged between 8-11 years old, with their teachers. They participated at 4 outdoor visits to coastal habitats, in order to know the endemic white crowberry plant. These visits occurred in mainland Portuguese coastal area of Torres Vedras and had the support of ‘Torres Vedras Environmental Educational Centre’ 

In the meanwhile, in Latvia, students from Madliena secondary school worked on project “Change your life-think more broadly”. It is civic participation project where students learn democracy and active partnership creating ideas, developing plans, looking for support. Project activities started in September and the students realized their ideas for better environment and for more beautiful and comfortable school surroundings. Work on project ideas devilment and realization make students more self-confident and responsible about place, where they live and study. It allows them to understand that their local work for better environment is a part of global issues. The improved surroundings of the school are used for school outdoor activities and became a good place for walks for everybody in Madliena. The support of local authorities and students` parents was important and helped the students to carry out their first so great project. 

In Brussels  COREN ran educational programs in environmental management in schools in Wallonia and Brussels. It

 organized activities on different themes: waste prevention and management, eco-consumption, rational use of energy, ecological footprint, food waste, citizen mobility . 

 

 

 

In Morocco,  the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training is organizing a webinar entitled “Innovative approaches for the environment. ‘environmental education and sustainable development’ in collaboration with the WEEC network through the international expert Mr. David Zandvliet.

As well in Italy, on the EE Day, Istituto per l’ambiente e l’educazione Scholé Futuro – Weec network organized the Earth Festival first edition.

Three days, from 15 to 17 October, in Lombardy on the Lake Maggiore river, full of events, conferences and activities thought to people awareness raising  to climat

e change and environmental education. The Festival is Earth Prize’s heritage, that ‘s took place for three years.  

Joining  “All4Climate-Italy2021’’ initiatives, Weec Network prepared Staffetta per il clima, Race for climate: 26 events disseminated in 14 italian regions  training moments, round tables, conferences, contests, exhibitions, debates and meetings for the presentation of pilot projects / good practices / case studies on climate change education. The last  one took place on the 14th October, in occasion of the EE Day. 

 

The managing body of the CEAS Dorgali Cala Gonone promoted an online dissemination event with the release of presentations relating to the importance of environmental education centres and training activities for territorial, local and regional development and for the protection of biodiversity. 

Le Mille e Una Notte prepared nature workshops for children and teenagers with a sustainability theme to get to know the reality of the Tiber River up close, from 10 am to sunset. Activities are part of a European project I Rivers in full size (FGN), whose goal is to collaboratively develop a set of teaching materials based on an illustrated representation of the great European rivers and their catchment areas.  

The Park of the Royal Castle of Moncalieri organised a virtual visit for kindergarten pupils to learn about history of this place and the vegetation present in the large park (including many centuries-old trees). The event highlighted the importance of parks and gardens for people, to have a space for relax or free time, to socialize each other and know the area they live.

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WEEC2022: connecting cultures in Prague VIDEO

The WEEC congress is for and about all those of us who are not indifferent, but passionate about environmental education.
We are looking forward to seeing you along with all the chairs, guest speakers and staff of the Czech centres from 14-18 March 2022

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Travel safe and sustainable to Prague: The Czech Republic has been awarded the international “Safe Travels Stamp”

Few months remain until the 11th World Environmental Education Congress (14-18th March 2022) in Prague. We believe this will be a time when  after two difficult years we will be able to meet again in person.

Through other European cities, Prague is one of the safest city and the Czech Republic has been awarded the international “Safe Travels Stamp” by the World Tourism & Travel Council (WTTC) and now holds the status of a safe destination.

Concerning connections, Prague is becoming easier avilable with direct flights from many european city and by 2022 new air root will be added by air companies like Wizzair, Blue Air SkyUp Airlines,Ural Airlines, airBaltic, Czech Airlines or Aeroflot. KLM, Air France and Lufthansa. There are also long-haul flights to Doha, Qatar, and Dubai, which will now be serviced by three carriers, namely Emirates, flydubai and Smartwings.

Currently, it is possible to fly to 115 destinationsfrom Václav Havel Airport Prague operated by over 45 airlines. But, as flights are increaing, the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, Prague Airport, the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic will strengthen the control of the currently valid conditions for entry into the country.

In line with the new procedures, passengers will be jointly inspected upon arrival by employees of Prague Airport, members of the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic. According to the valid protective measures in place, upon arrival in the Czech Republic, it is checked whether, passengers have completed a Public Health Passenger Locator Form (http://www.prijezdovyformular.cz), are in the possession of a certificate of completed vaccination or a proof of the illness recovery in the last 180 days. Passengers can also submit a COVID-19 negative test result according to the rules in effect. However, the assessment of the situation will always depend on the specific case of the respective passenger and the destination from which they are arriving.

Passengers can find an overview of the currently valid conditions for entry into the Czech Republic on the Czech Ministry of Interior’s website. Specific rules are based on the list of countries according to the degree of risk, which is regularly updated on the website of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic

Not only safety but also beauty is one of Prague’s keystones, indeed the City ranked seventh best city in the renowed British magazine Time Out thanks to the fact that most of the interviewed praised the city’s beauty despite the lockdowns (82 %) and walkable distances with no need to use car (89 %). The Czech capital has been also ranked second when it came to opportunities to relax. This all makes Prague one of the world’s most liveable cities. Besides, the magazine highlighted the green areas of Prague, especially Prague 6 district, whose parks can be used all year round for summer picnics or winter sledging. 

For any doubts or more information, please contact us on media@weecnetwork.staging.19.coop

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World Enviromental Education Day, the University of Quebec is ready.

In the view of the World Enviromental Education Day, a very interesting and relevant event occur in the Centr’ERE, Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté, in the University of Quebec in Montreal.

It is organized with respect for links with the past, present and future and with ancestral land rights.

These days begin the fall season of the Centr’ERE by highlighting three symbolic dates whose meanings significantly mark our relationship to education, indigenous peoples and the environment. October 5 will indeed be the International Teachers’ Day; October 12, the controversially titled “Discovery” of the Americas day, which marks very painful moments in history and inspires rebuilding ties with the First Peoples of the Americas; and October 14, International Environmental Education Day (ERE). These three dates mark out the course of a set of activities (seminars, round tables, conferences, meetings) offering complementary views on the past, present and future of the field of environmental education in the University of Quebec in Montreal, Quebec and beyond. Throughout these days, multiple windows will be opened on the abundant interdisciplinary networks between ERE and the fields of philosophy, anthropology, arts and literature, among others.

Check the full program on https://centrere.uqam.ca/evenements-a-venir/journees-ere/ 

The fourth edition of the World Environmental Education Day will take place between 9 and 17 October. The Weec Network is inviting all the stakeholders of the environmental education to join the World Environmental Education Day organizing special events to highlight the importance of environmental educational actions all over the world.

Several associations, environmental education centers, schools and institutions are sending us information about their events.

Don’t waste time, send us your ideas and what you and your organization are preparing on media@weecnetwork.staging.19.coop . 

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The Earth Prize: registration is officially open

 

Photo by Mika Baumeister – Unsplash

Until October 31st secondary education students and teachers can register for the competition through the website, where they will then be able to:

–  Watch the bespoke learning videos covering key environmental sustainability concepts and featuring young change-makers from around the world such as Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, and Boyan Slat, Founder of The Ocean Cleanup.

– Form teams and start working on their ideas.

– Ask questions to The Earth Prize Mentors: 30 student experts from 26 top universities across 18 countries.

If you know of any secondary school teacher or student who might be interested in participating in the competition, please share this initiative with them.  The Earth Prize wants to reach as many schools and students all over the world as possible.

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Mediterranean Solutions at IUCN Congress

Under the leadership of the MAVA foundation, the organisations ACCOBAMS, Conservatoire du Littoral, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, MedPAN, MedWet, The MedFund, Tour du Valat, UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC, UNEP/MAP-Plan Bleu and WWF Mediterranean gather at the IUCN Congress to present the current challenges, accomplishments, new initiatives and collaborative work which are taking place in the Mediterranean region.

Each of these organisations harnesses different skills, operational structures and approaches. However, they all share the same goal: to kickstart a nature-based recovery across the Mediterranean, and get on course for a sustainable, equitable future that balances economic growth and the health of the natural world.

Two seminal reports published in 2020, The State of the Environment and Development (SoED) report, and the First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR 1) on climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean basin, shed light on the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution on the Mediterranean.

During the 6 days, the sessions at the Mediterranean stand explore solutions to the key environmental issues in the region, including Nature-based solutions, inclusive processes to support inclusivity and effective and equitable governance, as well as an analysis of the current funding landscape.

This is the first hybrid IUCN Congress in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Mediterranean stand will provide streaming service for most of the live events scheduled by this innovative collaboration.

ALL EVENTS  WILL BE LIVE-STREAMED through this link:
https://virtualmeeting.leni.fr/UICN21/A28/indexSuite.php

For further details read here

or IUCN World Conservation Congress website

Download the brochure here

For further enquiries, please contact Arantxa Cendoya at arantxa.cendoya@iucn.org