Promotion of Multilateral co-operation on issues related to Education for Environment and Sustainability

Education for Environment and Sustainability is considered, together with Economy, Law and Technology, one of the four pillars for achieving a Development which can be characterized as Sustainable, as also recognised during the International Conference of Thessaloniki (8-12 December 1997, organised by UNESCO and the Greek Government), the conferences and meetings that followed and the Programmes and Guidelines of competent International Organisations.

The promotion of training and collaboration among educators that are working on Education for Environment and Sustainability has been recognised as an important tool for the enhancement of their capacities at the national level.

During the Mediterranean Workshop on the Promotion of Education for Environment and Sustainability (Athens, 18-19 December 1998), organised by MIO-ECSDE, it became obvious that the initiative to launch a process aiming at the creation of a network of educators already involved in education for environment and sustainability, with a nuclei in each country, collaborating closely with relevant NGOs, is ripe. During the workshop, MIO-ECSDE was re-posted to being the co-ordinating body of such a Mediterranean initiative, assisted wherever necessary by the experience of the Hellenic Society of Educators on Environmental Education (HAEEE), an innovative Greek NGO network of teachers. A significant number of educators from Mediterranean countries attending the workshop enrolled in the effort.

Promoting the creation of associations of environmental educators or similar non-formal nuclei at national level in the various Mediterranean countries, is considered as an important long-term investment which can produce fruitful results if well organised.

Main objective of the project

To facilitate the set-up of a network of a critical mass of educators working on environment and sustainability in six Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Cyprus, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey) and support their activities with educational material on common Mediterranean problems (main focus on Water and Solid Waste).

Duration

The project will be completed in 14 months, starting September 2000.

Brief outline of the project

The projects will be developed as follows:

1. Exchange of ideas on the project with the collaborating groups (via e-mail). Drafting and adoption of the methodology of the project. Identification of key-persons in each country.

2. Compilation of a background folder from existing educational material focussing on Water and Solid Waste in the Mediterranean.

3. Organisation of a "kick-off" Seminar in Athens.
This will be a 4-5 days seminar with the participation of 3 persons per country (2 educators + 1 NGO staff working on education and acting as national focal point for the project).

4. Drafting, discussion and production of an information kit for the educator, focusing on water and solid waste in the Mediterranean.

5. Preparation and organisation of a Workshop in each country.
This will be a 2 days meeting with the participation of a representative core group of educators (max 60 persons), where the scope of the project and the information kit will be presented and discussed. The educators will be invited to contribute their expertise and ideas on issues related to the establishment of such a network in their country (context, means, membership, co-ordination etc.).

From each Workshop a set of recommendations will be drafted, which will mark the future steps and the expansion of the core network in the country and will initiate a database of educators working on environmental education. In order to strengthen the co-operation in the Mediterranean level and facilitate a dialogue among the educators, MIO-ECSDE will devote a link in its web-site

6. Drafting of the reports of the national meetings. Set-up of the core networks of educators at the national level. Presentation of the results to the media. Drafting of a plan of common follow up actions.

Timetable

Coordinator

The project will be coordinated by MIO-ECSDE.

Main Collaborators

· Egypt: Arab Office for Youth and the Environment (AOYE)
· Cyprus: Federation of Environmental and Ecological Organisations of Cyprus (FEEOC)
· Israel: Society for the Protection of Nature Israel (SPNI)
· Morroco: Club Marocain d' Education en Matiere de Population et d' Environnement (CMEPE)
· Tunisia: Association for the Protection of Nature and Environment - Kairouan (APNEK)
· Turkey: Green Steps for Environmental Literacy

Funds

The project is funded by the Greek Government through the Greek Ministry for Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works & the Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Commission for the European Union, DG ENV.