Eco-Youth Can Make a Difference
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Lines from the Environmental Education Forum Vol. 5 Issue 5 AUTUMN 2008 Eco-YOUth can make a difference Inside Page 2 Introduction Page 3 News from EEF Page 4-7 Members News Page 8 Other News Page 9-10 Diary Dates The Youth Service sector in Northern Ireland plays a major role in supporting and encouraging young people to mature and reach their potential as valued Page 11-12 individuals and responsible citizens. Resources & Training This annual Youth Service edition of the LEEF newsletter will explore ways in which the EEF’s member groups and the Youth Service can work together to promote the education of children as environmentally and socially aware individuals and empower them with the knowledge, skills and experience to EIGHT PAGE lead sustainable lifestyles. SUPPLEMENT Environmental Education Forum c/o Northern Ireland Environment Link 89 Loopland Drive Belfast BT6 9DW Phone: (028) 9045 5770 Fax: (028) 9094 2151 PRINTED ON E-mail: [email protected] RECYCLED PAPER Website: eefni.org.uk INTRODUCTION Alyn Jones Alliance Youth Works, Kilbroney Centre Youth Groups and the Environment: Working to Insipre! In recent years the EEF and its members have been working very hard to be more relevant to the formal education sector in Northern Ireland, by examining our programming in the light of the Revised Curriculum. We have cogitated and ruminated, reflected and pulled our resources. It’s what we do well at the EEF, bring the right people with the most up to date information to meet the members and then having been challenged and educated ourselves, support one another as we make the necessary changes to raise the collective standard of environmental education across the North. This has worked well, but there is another way of reaching children and young people that we have been missing to a large extent, the wonderful and diverse world of informal education. These Statutory, Voluntary, NGO and charitable groups, all have a vital role to play in the education of our children and young people and each year work hard to expose them to new experiences outside of the classroom. Hundreds of volunteers and youth workers pour thousands of man-hours into creative and dynamic programmes enthusing, encouraging and empowering children and young people in a range of activities and subjects. The Curriculum Development Unit of the Department of Education may have created an excellent model of effective practice which most organisations will be aware of, but the sector is still some what fragmented and therefore youth work is more often a case of “you in your small corner and I in mine” in comparison to the coherent juggernaut of the school system. Reaching the Youth Sector So how do we begin to impact this informal education sector? The Youth Service does have a list of curriculum areas which are very useful to “hang” support resources and programmes on. Health Education, Guidance and Counselling, Values and Beliefs, Creative Arts, Outdoor Education, Sport and Recreation, Widening Horizons, Community Relations and Involvement, Political Awareness and Active Citizenship, Development Education and Environmental Awareness. If these don’t get your creative juices flowing then nothing will. It is possible to offer similar programmes to the informal sector as we do to the formal sector, but it is important to remember that the kids and young people in youth groups are there voluntarily and may have a differently disciplined structure around them and depending on what the aim of the session is, may not be prepared to engage in the more “school-like” activities of measuring and defining and more readily hooked by experiences and fun exploration. It is a good idea therefore, if you pursue childrens and youth groups, to agree aims and objectives with the leadership and explain your methodology so that there would be no misinterpretation of what will occur on their visit. Making a Difference and Encouraging Action We have all become proficient in counting the cost of a project, seeking out added value and budgeting for success. We walk a tightrope between what will impress on paper and what will bring longevity to our organisation and our current projects. But how often do we figure on the young people we work with being such a valuable resource? Do we look at them as figures on a page or potential foot soldiers in the ongoing battle for environmental awareness in society? Young people who choose to attend youth organisations do so because they want to be in relationship with the leadership there - they elect to engage with the programme because of the opportunities it offers them outside of their daily life - they opt into this system of education because they want to grow and develop at their speed and not because there is a timetable by which they must learn, grow and move on. What if our organisations were able to enthuse, and inspire these children and young people to opt in, to choose, to elect to be more than just consumers of learning about the environment as a science/ geography project, but instead, people in relationship with the natural world and with others equally passionate about it, with opportunities to conserve and support it and therefore grow and develop as whole individuals having found their place in the natural order. I’m a big fan of the John Muir Award and when we offer this programme to young people at the Kilbroney Centre we engage in an educational model put forward by Patrick Geddes known as the 3 H model. At its core Geddes says that experiences created on fun, authenticity and adventure start a cyclical chain between the heart, head and hands. Experiences that inspire the heart to care, inform the head with knowledge and guide hands to meaningful work are a potent cocktail. Youth organisations The Kilbroney Centre are much more flexible in their programming 15 Kilbroney Road Rostrevor than schools can be, so reaching them is a BT34 3BW much more creative and fun process. With a little thought and planning, a little tweaking of 028 4173 8401 our existing programmes and projects we can reach this sector with our message. 2 NEWS FROM the EEF THE EEF: THREE YEARS ON! Welcome to the latest LEEF Newsletter with updates from the Environmental Education Forum which provides information on activities in the environmental education and education for sustainable development sectors in Northern Ireland. The work of the Forum is supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Forum is always grateful to them for their support. Well it has been three years since the EEF was re-launched and the time really has flown. We have been working very hard for all the members of the Forum, by carrying out a whole raft of activities which have helped sectors come together to better co-ordinate the delivery of Environmental education in Northern Ireland. The work of the EEF will continue to develop and expand into new areas in the coming years and it is hoped that the members will continue to see the benefits of being part of the wider network when it comes to the development of their own programmes. New ESD Resource Guide for Teachers and Youth Leaders Launched A new ESD Resource Guide for schools and youth groups, produced by the Environmental Education Forum, was launched at a recent EEF conference. The document has been designed to help teachers and group leader source organisations within Northern Ireland who can contribute to or provide Environmental Education / Education for Sustainable Development visits and talks. The booklet contains details of Forum members, the education programmes that they provide, the links those programmes have to all levels and subjects in the NI curriculum and relevant contact details, e-mail and website addresses. It gives details of how schools, playgroups, nurseries and youth organisations can become involved in environmental education work that will lead to the next generation becoming more aware of their environment, engaged with it and inspired to take action to lead more sustainable lifestyles at school and at home. If you would like to receive a copy, or further copies, of the document please contact the Forum at eef@ nienvironmentlink.org or telephone (028) 9045 5770. The document will also be available to download from the EEF website at the following address: www.eefni.org.uk/publications Education for Sustainable Development Days 2008 Every year the Forum runs ESD Days at all of Northern Ireland’s Universities. These are delivered by EEF member groups, and are aimed at trainee teachers and PGCE students. The days consist of a series of workshops in which the leaders demonstrate best practice in delivery of EE / ESD through various aspects of the curriculum. In 2008/09 season there will be six such days carried out at Queen’s University, the University of Ulster at Coleraine, Stranmillis College and St Mary’s College. Groups and agencies not facilitating a workshop at any of the above days are invited to attend as an observer should they wish to see the workshops in action and learn more about the importance of integrating ESD into the curriculum through the subjects taught by the student teachers. Please contact [email protected] should you like to come along to one of these events. Join the Forum Are you interested or involved in environmental education? Then why not consider joining the Forum? Membership is open to all organisations and individuals, and fees are based on a band system. As well as being part of a major network of environmental education providers, you will benefit from; a quarterly newsletter (LEEF), regular e-bulletins, members’ training events, conferences, contributing to University ESD Days, support and publicity for your work and much more! Andy Griggs For more information on the EEF or how to join please contact: EEF Co-ordinator 89 Loopland Drive Or visit our website www.eefni.org.uk Belfast BT6 9DW 028 9045 5770 3 MEMBERS NEWS Taking A Group To The North Coast? The National Trust is pleased to offer the hire of their education centre for youth groups visiting the North Coast.