Mediterranean water week
10-15 December 2002 - Athens, Greece

Environmental Education - the Mediterranean Perspective
Coordination meetings of MEDIES
1st Task Group Meeting & Workshop on Environmental Education Methodologies and teaching methods
14-15 December 2002, Caravel Hotel - Athens

MEDIES is a Type II Initiative lead by:
- Greece, through the Ministry for the Environment Physical Planning and Public Works
- Mediterranean Action Plan / United Nations Environment Programme (MAP/UNEP)
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development
(MIO-ECSDE)

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

As recognised in various Declarations and Conferences, Education is the key to sustainable development (SD) and also to peace and stability within and among countries. According to Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, “Education is critical for promoting Sustainable Development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues.” The implementation of the concept of SD seems to be a “sine qua non” condition for the survival and further progress of the Mediterranean region due to its special natural and socio-economic characteristics.

To this end the Mediterranean Education Initiative for Environment and Sustainability (MEDIES) was launched during the WSSD in Johannesburg. MEDIES is an initiative on Education for Environment and Sustainability (EfES) that facilitates the educational community and students to contribute in a systematic and concrete way for the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration goals, through the successful application of innovative Educational Programmes in countries around the Mediterranean basin. These Educational Programmes are based on cross-cutting themes (fresh-water and wastes) in the existing school-curricula. The core of this initiative is Educators’ Networks implementing the integrated educational programmes as a vehicle to sustainable development.

The first Coordination Meeting for the development of MEDIES will be organised by MIO-ECSDE on 14-15 December 2002, as part of a multi-event under the theme “Mediterranean Water Week”, which is planned for 10-15 December 2002, in Athens
During the first day (14 Dec) the Task Group of MEDIES will be formed, the structure and the terms of reference will be agreed upon, and the short and medium term development plan of MEDIES will be discussed.

The second day (15 Dec) will basically be a Workshop on methodologies and teaching methods applied in Environmental Education (EE). It will mainly refer to the Educators and NGOs that were instrumental in the formulation of MEDIES, and are currently involved in the MEDIES’ network, through the use and application of the Educational Package “Water in the Mediterranean”. However, the Workshop is addressed to all individuals or organizations involved with EE programmes, via the “channels” of formal as well as non-formal Education.

Background of the Partnership/Initiative:

The implementation of the concept of Sustainable Development seems to be a “sine qua non” condition for the survival and further progress of the Mediterranean region due to its special natural and socio-economic characteristics. The former include the scarcity of its natural resources (water in particular), vulnerability to erosion and desertification of land and the semi-closed character of the basin, which makes it vulnerable to pollution from all kinds of waste. The latter include rapid development in coastal areas, mass tourism, and intensive agriculture. Both tourism and irrigated agriculture are vital economic sectors for the region. The sustainable development of the Mediterranean region should address all the aforementioned issues in an integrated and balanced way. Even the wisest policies cannot be implemented if citizens are not aware and prepared, through appropriate education, to contribute and adjust their lifestyles in innovative and efficient ways to the new conditions.

Education is undoubtedly the key to sustainable development and also to peace and stability within and among countries. This has been recognised in various Documents (Agenda 21, Education for All, United Nations Millennium Declaration and Conferences (Jomtien, 1990; Rio, 1992; Cairo, 1994; Thessaloniki, 1997; Dakar, 2000). Without accelerated progress in Education national and internationally agreed targets for sustainable development and poverty reduction will be missed and inequalities between countries and within societies will widen.

As stated in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, “Education is critical for promoting Sustainable Development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues.” Youth comprise nearly 30% of the world's population. The involvement of today's youth in environment and development decision-making and in the implementation of programmes is critical to the long-term success of Agenda 21. It is generally accepted that in parallel to a good Education for All a more targeted component of Education for Environment and Sustainability (EfES) enables students to develop knowledge, values and skills to participate, inter allia, in decisions about their livelihoods, change their consumption patterns, deal with globalization, and contribute to the eradication of poverty, and improvement of their health.

The main chapters of Agenda 21 that are being addressed through this Partnership/initiative are the following:
4. Changing consumption patterns*
8. Integrating environment and development in decision-making
9. Protection of the atmosphere*
12. Managing fragile ecosystems: combating desertification and drought.*
14. Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural Development.*
18 Protection of the quality and supply of freshwater resources: application of integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources.*
21. Environmentally sound management of solid wastes and sewage-related issues.*
25. Children and youth in sustainable development.
27. Strengthening the role of non-governmental organizations: partners for sustainable development
36. Promoting education, public awareness and training.

Furthermore, the initiative will greatly contribute in the implementation of the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development. There are already several educational networks around the world (mostly in the form of school networks), as well as a variety of Environmental Educational Materials (books, CD-ROMS, etc.). A critical review of the situation was carried out during the Thessaloniki Conference (Dec 1997). It is clear that many attempts have been made up to date to coordinate and mutually support these initiatives, but the results until now are not very spectacular.

MIO-ECSDE with the collaboration of the University of Athens and educators from various Mediterranean countries and the support of the Greek Government, the Commission of the EU and the Global Water Partnership–Mediterranean has produced an educational kit on water (originally produced in English). This should be produced in the coming years in large numbers in many Mediterranean languages and used in secondary schools throughout the region. More important perhaps is the development, in parallel, of an Educators’ network, not only for water or related issues, such as waste management, etc., but more general for EfES. This network in the future will be supported to both coordinated common and individual innovative initiatives undertaken at national and local level.

Brief Description of the Partnership/Initiative

This initiative/partnership on EfES, facilitates the educational community and students to contribute in a systematic and concrete way for the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration goals, through the successful application of innovative Educational Programmes in countries around the Mediterranean basin. These Educational Programmes will be based on cross-cutting themes in the existing school-curricula. During the first years of implementation will focus on freshwater including all its aspects (sanitation, health, floods, agriculture, etc.), followed by wastes.

According to this inter-sectoral approach the partners involved will be Ministries (of Education and/or Environment), Intergovernmental Organisations (UNESCO, UNEP), NGOs such as IUCN and national members of MIO-ECSDE, the Educational Community and of course students from the collaborating countries.

The Core of this initiative will be a network of Educators and Schools implementing the integrated educational programmes on water, waste, etc. as a vehicle to sustainable development.

Special emphasis will be also given to the role of students as “messengers for sustainability” to their families and local communities. The exchange of experiences and “know how” in Educational matters of all partners involved. This exchange and close collaboration of countries of the Northern and Southern Mediterranean will allow the development of a methodological framework, to be evaluated and further implemented in other regions.

Main objectives of the Partnership/Initiative, relationship with the objectives of Agenda 21 and the UN Millennium Declaration

The initiative will have a first term of 5 years. The main objectives of the initiative compatible with the principles of sustainable development are:
- Wise management of freshwater resources
- Wise management of wastes
- Facilitation of Educators’ networks

Apart from the main objectives emphasis will be given to curricular educational objectives and methodological approaches such as the:
- Promotion of the collaboration (information and “Know how” exchange) of all involved partners, at all levels. This way the links between formal, non formal and informal educators and institutions will be further strengthened.
- Exploitation of the existing knowledge and experience in educational matters as well as of national needs, policies, methodologies and evaluations. The differences and similarities of the Northern-Southern countries of the Mediterranean will be fully exploited so as to achieve the best possible results.
- Training of trainers, (Educators) through capacity building programmes in teaching, designing and producing innovative educational material, before and during the implementation of the projects
- Support of the schools of the region with relevant high quality educational material on crucial issues for the region such as the management of freshwater and solid wastes.

The overall goals of the partnership/initiative and their relationship with Agenda 21 and the UN Millennium Declaration are presented in the attached Annex I.

Expected results:
- Close collaboration among involved education partners (Ministries, international organisations, schools and NGOs) and promotion of coordinated activities on EfES.
- Establishment of a widespread network of Educators working on EfES, that will facilitate the constant exchange of school activities experiences and information, to further enrich their scheme of work.
- Training of Educators on EfES.
- Production of educational materials on a set of issues.
- Awareness raising (production of informative material, organisation of local or regional campaigns and exhibitions for the general public).
- Development of a Mediterranean Methodological framework to be used by other regions, based on the evaluation of the initiative.

Specific targets of the Partnership/Initiative and timeframe for their achievement:

Specific targets-activities that are planed to be implemented during the MEDIES initiative- are listed below:

1. Core Group & Task Group formation. The first body will be formed by the three Leading Parties, other confirmed partners and eventually some donors. The latter will be comprised of representatives from all major collaborating partners, having as main task to provide scientific expertise support and advice for the proper design, application and monitoring of the activities of the initiative.

2. Translation and production of the Water Kit. The initial English version of the Educational Package “Water in the Mediterranean” will be translated in 5 Mediterranean languages and 2,000 copies will be produced for each language.

3. There will be a launching communication campaign informing the Educators and Schools in the participating countries about the initiative. Through this communication the leaders (to be used as trainers) will be identified from each country. During this phase there will also be contacts with local and national authorities (to secure permissions etc.).

4. Four regional Educators training seminars will be organised with a participation of selected educators from the participating countries. Each seminar will be addressed to 60 Educators (leaders-trainers) and will last 4 days.
The regional seminars of the leaders-trainers will be followed by the organisation of a series of national or local training seminars, which will be organised by the “leader-trainers” accordingly. One person from the steering committee will supervise the first series (3-4 per country) of these seminars.

5. Application in schools. Prior to the implementation, the dissemination of the translated educational materials and relevant equipment in each country is required.

6. Webpage set up. An internet site will be set, that will be regularly updated with all current projects in each country. Educators participating in the network will be able to send comments, or have on-line discussions during and after the process of implementation. A part-time technician will be assigned to support the internet site, enter and formulate all necessary information.

7. The comments collected after the evaluation meetings (both national and regional) will be used for amendments of the educational processes used, before moving next to the 2nd phase of implementation. During this phase the Educational Package on Waste will be implemented throughout the schools network.

8. Student Award. This award will be granted to those students who facilitate leadership in Environmental Sustainable Development matters. Leading students (3-4 per country) identified by their trainers during the implementation phases will be invited to participate in an Educational Camp organised in Greece or another selected Mediterranean country. These students will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and attend outdoor-field training. This way they will be further educated on environmental matters.

9. Campaigns and Exhibitions. Schools NGOs participating in the network will exhibit their work, annually, on a local or national basis. Posters and accompanying printed material will be compiled, translated, and in various languages.
During these exhibitions the students themselves will be used as “educators” for the local communities. These activities will be supported also by local NGOs in an attempt to inform and sensitise the public on environmental matters, and ways of adopting a responsible behaviour.

10. Educational materials, such as books, newsletters and CD-ROMs will be produced from the partners involved in the initiative, and disseminated to the entire network.

11. Evaluation meetings. There will be 2 regional evaluation meetings (half-way and upon completion of the initiative), with the participation of the Steering Committee, the Partners Forum and invited experts. There will also be evaluation meetings of a local or national character (depending on the size of the network in each country), after the end of each school year.

12. The input from all previous evaluation meetings will contribute to the creation of a Mediterranean Methodology Framework on EfES. This framework will be presented in international conferences etc. so that it can be further replicated, adjusted and adopted by other regions.

Timetable
The specific timetable of the abovementioned activities that will take place during the implementation of the programme is as follows:

Coordination and Implementation mechanism
A Task Group will be set up comprised of representatives from the major collaborating partners, with balanced representation between partners having as main task to elaborate in detail the content and plan of activities in the initiative. This body will consist of a maximum of 30 members and will meet at least once every two years. Furthermore, all members of this body will communicate electronically.

A smaller Core Group comprised of the three Leading Parties and eventually some donors, consisting of 3-7 members, will also be formed. The Steering Committee will have an initial meeting in 2002 and then twice per year.

Furthermore, the supervision and overall management of the initiative will require the assignment of one executive and one support staff. This small team will work closely with all partners and may include staff seconded from them.

Arrangements for funding
There are on going contacts with bilateral and multilateral donors (e.g. EU Commission, UNEP, Governments), Private Sector and other partners who have expressed interest for the MEDIES Initiative.
Start-up funds have been secured by MIO-ECSDE, GWP-Med and Greece.

Arrangements for capacity building and technology transfer
One of the main targets of this initiative is the exchange of knowledge, experience and know how in all matters relevant to Education for Sustainable Development. This target will be fulfilled through targeted activities such as training courses, seminars, publications of properly interpreted relevant statistical data from Mediterranean countries, etc.
The involvement and close collaboration of international organisations, Ministries, NGOs and schools will contribute to the creation of a new spirit in Education and a Mediterranean Methodological framework on EfES based on a holistic, interdisciplinary approach, bearing in mind the special character of the Mediterranean region. Such a framework might be then replicated and amended accordingly for other regions.


Links of Partnership/Initiative with on-going sustainable development activities at the international and/or regional level
Few fragmented initiatives exist in the Mediterranean, at the national and local level (in the form of specific school networks). The initiative will attempt to provide the basis for coordination and dissemination of experiences. Furthermore, links will be established with activities and programmes of UNESCO, UNEP and IUCN as well as the initiatives of the MIO-ECSDE wide network of NGOs. Strong links will be established with Ministries and Academia in general in order to make the initiative mutually beneficial for educators working in more theoretical issues and practitioners.

Monitoring Arrangements
Progress towards meeting the targets of MEDIES initiative needs to be assessed regularly and systematically to allow for the necessary adjustments, if needed, as well as for meaningful comparative analyses. The Core Group will meet 2 times a year. Furthermore, the Task Group will meet at least once every 2 years to assess progress.

Annual activity and administrative reports will be delivered from the “management team” to all partners involved. Progress will be reported regularly through the web-site as well as through electronic and brief hardcopy newsletters. All partners will host special annexes and articles in their respective newsletters and web-sites.