Eco-Schools: training the “eco-citizens” of tomorrow
Young people are the first ambassadors for sustainable development. Capable of naturally integrating the right actions and best practices of a responsible eco-citizenship, young people are the ones who accompany behavior change today.
The Eco-Schools program of the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) is part of this spirit. Federating 51,000 schools in 67 countries, Eco-Schools is a global program that focuses on younger generations by committing them to the protection of the environment.
The Eco-Schools network represents a real lever for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a bottom-up dynamic aimed at empowering people and adopting a more environmentally friendly behavior. The program is divided into 7 stages: creation of the Eco-Schools Committee; environmental assessment; creation of an action plan; monitoring and evaluation of the actions carried out; linking curricula; information and involvement of the community and development of the eco-code.
Eco-School in Indianoceania
In February 2015, the Eco-Schools network was set up in the Indian Ocean thanks to the ISLANDS project of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), funded by the European Union. 50,000 dollars were also provided by the United States Embassy in Mauritius for the launch of the Eco-Schools program in the Indian Ocean.
The region is committed to this new form of innovative resilience in Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius (including Rodrigues), Seychelles and Zanzibar (Tanzania).
The Eco-School network is composed of various actors. There are NGOs, private sector and government structures. Local organizations are responsible for implementing the program. There are National Eco-Schools Committees in all the countries concerned, with the exception of Seychelles which has its own Eco-Schools network.
A participatory and inclusive project
What is the concept ?
Move from the theoretical phase in class, to practice in the school grounds, and finally touch the local communities. As little ambassadors of the environment, schoolchildren transmit knowledge to their parents, and by extension to their neighborhood and their community. The teachers, and the school staff are also included in the process, and in turn will be vectors of good environmental practices. It is the entire school environment that is involved. Collective actions of waste sorting and composting, for example, are carried out by students and staff. The goal of the project is to integrate these small gestures for the environment into the daily routine.
The work done by IOC and its partners has made it possible to introduce in the islands an innovative and motivating program, a challenge for students, who are willing to play games, and who learn many lessons, thanks to a dynamic ” bottom-up “. Students are witnesses of the results of their work and have a say in the sustainable management of their environment.
Educational principles
Eco-School provides a framework for teachers to provide quality education. The IOC created a handbook for the teachers to better train themselves to introduce their students to the Sustainable Development Goals. This guide is intended to be fun, easy to access, and especially in tune with the realities of the region.
The path of participating schools is closely monitored by NGO partners and national committees. This is to ensure that good practices introduced in the institutions are sustainable. Prizes are awarded to schools to motivate and reward their actions: bronze and silver medals, and finally the Holy Grail, the Green Flag. The first Green Flags were awarded to Mauritian schools in December 2017.
Joining the Eco-Schools network in Indianoceania represents a real lever in the region to educate sustainable development and train the citizens of tomorrow, more resilient and committed.