The project "CHANGE YOURSELF, HELP NATURE" aims to educate young people on environmental issues and mitigating the effects of climate change. The main objective of the project is to cooperate with selected foreign schools and lead them in the implementation of comprehensive didactic blocks. Didactic blocks include various teaching forms and methods, theoretical and practical activities aimed at raising environmental awareness and thus building an environmentally conscious society. Individual educational activities capture specific areas, which are: - Water, protection of water resources and rainwater harvesting, - Climate change and its consequences, - The Greenhouse effect and carbon footprint, - Biodiversity and its active conservation, - Natural resources, the consequences of overexploitation and renewable natural resources. The main idea of the project is to share experience and good practice in the field of environmental and climate protection. In the long-term, the applicant focuses on mitigating the effects of climate change, especially in rainwater harvesting and active conservation of biodiversity. These are two of the key measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Several projects implemented at the Applicant’s School include the education of students and the public. 10,000-12,000 visitors come annually to visit the school area. Partner schools are situated in different urban and rural environments. Therefore, we are able to intercept the issue of climate change and protecting nature in a wider range of local conditions in the project. Individual partners are at a varying degree experienced in the implementation of international projects, active nature conservation and modern teaching methods. Therefore, the project will be significantly beneficial for all participants. By involving young people in active environmental and climate protection, we also lead the next generation to civic integrity at local and global levels. The key methods we use in education are the peer-to-peer method (peer education), the methods for the development of critical thinking, science literacy, communication skills and experiential learning. The implementation of the project will thus be stimulating and beneficial not only for the participating students but also for the teachers, who will acquire the tasks and will have the opportunity to develop their pedagogical skills. In the framework of international cooperation, we will strengthen mutual tolerance and respect without differences. Since we are equally responsible for the future of the environment and society, we will prefer, as far as possible, to include inclusive education and student integration with fewer opportunities in project implementation. In the long term, the project will be the theoretical and practical starting point for implementing effective educational and practical activities aimed at improving the quality of environmental education, mitigating the impacts of climate change in the schools involved and transferring acquired knowledge, skills and competences to the practical activities of local communities. The acquisition of methods and practices, key competencies and skills strengthens the position of young people in society and their civic integrity at a local and global level.
The "CHANGE YOURSELF, HELP NATURE" project aimed to focus young people to the issue of environmental protection and mitigate the consequences of climate change. The objectives we achieved thanks to the implementation of the project, were: - collaboration with selected partner schools from abroad to carry out comprehensive didactic blocks, - raising awareness of climate change and its consequences - deepening civic responsibility and integrity in environmental protection issues - supporting the acquisition and development of scientific competence and critical thinking - developing social and communication skills and intercultural dialogue - fostering civic responsibility and integrity. Thanks to the combination of different teaching methods and approaches, including the combination of theory and practice, the project aimed to raise environmental awareness and educate society with a high level of ecological knowledge. The educational activities carried out during the project period focussed on the following topics: - Water resources and their protection, rainwater management - Climate change and its consequences - biodiversity and its active protection, - natural resources, their overexploitation and renewable resources. An essential part of the implementation of all activities was the cooperation of all participating partner schools, discussion and age-appropriate adaptation of the proposed activities. The main vision of the project was the mutual exchange of experiences and good practices in the field of environmental protection with partner schools from abroad. The primary school with the Kindergarten of Maximilián Hell in Štiavnické Bane, which initiated the project, has many years of experience, especially in the field of rainwater management and biodiversity protection. Thanks to the project, the many years of experience gained in these areas could also be passed on to other partner schools as part of educational activities. Based on real experiences, the partner schools were also encouraged to actively protect the environment in the areas concerned. Boarder spectrum of climate change in local conditions was grasped by the partnering schools located in various urban and rural environments. The project partners contributed their experience in implementing international projects, active nature conservation and modern teaching methods, which increased the value and benefit of the project for all project participants. The project utilised modern teaching methods such as peer-to-peer education, critical thinking development, science and climate knowledge development and communication skills. The use of experiential learning was also a necessary component of the project. This practice is essential for understanding and memorising new information. Several didactic materials were created during the realisation of the project, to facilitate the acquisition of the acquired knowledge. The content and form of these materials were focused towards the individual educational activities of this project. They were created, planned and implemented according to the individual needs of the participants and their age groups. We have gradually integrated the didactic materials created in this way into the educational process of individual organisations. We have shared responsibility for the future development of our society. In the implementation of this project, we have focussed on incorporating inclusive educational approaches and supporting the integration of students with limited opportunities, especially those from less economically privileged backgrounds. The collaboration between students and teachers from different countries thus promoted a culture of mutual respect and tolerance. In the long term, the initiative serves as a theoretical and practical basis for the implementation of effective educational activities to protect nature and reduce the negative effects of climate change in the participating schools and for the transfer of the knowledge and skills acquired to local community projects. The acquisition of methods, key competencies and skills strengthen the position of young people in society and their ability to actively participate in social life, both locally and globally.