Education

This topic area supports the dissemination of the main outcomes of the “Environment for Europe” process and the implementation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development (SESD).

Within this political framework, and based on the results achieved during the implementation of the REC's Green Pack educational kit, the team aims to strengthen sub-regional cooperation and encourage a multi-stakeholder approach to environmental education and education for sustainable development.

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The work is carried out in four main thematic areas:

Developing a political framework to disperse the seeds of the “Environment for Europe” process and implement the UNECE SESD at the sub-regional and national levels.
Developing specific educational tools promoting sustainable development values through a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.
Strengthening teacher education through training, the sharing of experience and cooperation.
Raising public awareness by developing tools and campaigns to increase public knowledge and awareness of sustainable development issues.

Our most successful product is the Green Pack, a multimedia environmental education kit, intended primarily for secondary school teachers and their students. It includes a 200-page teachers’ guide, an interactive CD-ROM for students, a video-film collection, a board game and various other educational aids. Each Green Pack is adapted to a particular country, with national and regional information supplementing the core material.

The Green Pack has been produced in 14 national and regional editions, each one adapted substantively, in collaboration with national education and environmental ministries, to the particular country’s environmental context and translated into the relevant language or languages. Distribution is carried out in cooperation with national education ministries and targeted at school teachers via training workshops. National versions have appeared in Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovakian, Russian, Albanian, Turkish, Macedonian, Azerbaijani, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, and a general European version has been produced in English.

The topic area also produces Green Pack Junior, a version of the Green Pack specifically geared towards the educational needs of children from grades 2 to 6 and for schools with less technical equipment and fewer multimedia facilities. The materials are divided into 10 topics that look at the interaction between environment, society and economic development. These topics are used to demonstrate how human beings are connected to, and how we affect, the environment in which we live and, most importantly, what this means for society. Each topic comprises a structured lesson plan and the supporting materials required to plan and deliver a class on the subject. The lesson plans create an interactive way of learning by using discussions, brainstorming, role playing, and outdoor activities. Each lesson plan provides the teacher with background information on the topic, teaching objectives, a methodology, the required materials, suggested timing, and possible teaching locations. At the end of each lesson plan teachers will also find supporting factsheets and other tools such as colouring pages, tests and even fairytales. The topics present the key issues facing the world today: pupils are encouraged to think critically about them and to, ultimately, to become involved citizens.

The topic area has also completed the project “Environmental Toolkit for Citizens (Citizens’ Pack)”, the aim of which is to increase the environmental awareness of European citizens. The project comprised the development of the concept, structure and content of an environmental toolkit for citizens. A toolkit prototype was produced in the English language and a strategy for dissemination was developed. The topic area is currently looking for funding for the production, further dissemination and upgrading of the Citizens’ Pack.

In addition to these projects, we are also in the process of developing projects related to climate change education at municipal level — “Think Globally Act Locally: Educating Municipalities on the Practical Measures They Can Take at Community Level for Carbon Reductions” — and the development of a set of educational materials on climate change “Changing with the Climate”.

The team comprises internationally experienced experts from Western and Eastern Europe as well as the United States. These environmental education experts have a combined total of more than 40 years’ experience in environmental education. Their expertise covers a diverse spectrum of educational sectors ranging from sustainable development and climate change to tourism development. Each team member possesses specialised knowledge and brings diverse skills and contacts allowing a holistic and effective approach to project development and implementation.

The team is headed by Kliment Mindjov (kmindjov at rec.org), senior expert on education within the REC’s Environmental Policy Directorate, and leader of the Environmental Education Topic Area. He received a master’s degree in chemistry from Sofia University “Kliment Ohridsky” and diplomas from a number of international courses and institutions.

Our other experts are: