This is a Training Course for environmental educators, youth workers, NGO volunteers and unemployed graduates in science studies with the aim of building bridges between formal and non-formal education in holistic science.
These have been the main objectives of this project, cofunded by the EU Commission, ERASMUS+ programme:
1. Exchange innovative experiences on environmental education between different countries.
2. Implement and explore holistic environmental learning approaches & Practice experiential methods
3. Train new skills and competences that contribute to a healthy and sustainable life.
4. Share tools that support the understanding of European environmental and educational policies
5. Discuss and identify crucial factors that ensure the quality of non formal environmental education.
6. Encourage young trainers and participants to create their own environmental education programs
7. Create an e-book on the content and process practiced in the course
Visit the project's website!What has been done, then?
30 participants and 3 facilitators from 8 EU countries gathered together at a beautiful place in rural Asturias, for a week, last September 2015.
The course and its results has been inspiring for Gaia y Sofia. A course where a big focus on the learning process has been our special touch.
Participants learnt scientific facts and alternative perspectives from special guests, Sergio Maraschin, geologist, and Carmen Maraschin, ecologist and astrologist.
They also learnt non-formal methods and facilitation skills with Honza Latal; life science&community skills with Lidia Fanjul; and holistic approaches and experiential learning with Sebastian Burch.
All this while walking the nearby forests, building a community with sense of place, preparing meals together, keeping the place beautiful, and of course, being challenged with activities, simulation games and debates that explored perspectives, rituals and the “essential art” of self-reflection.
A learning process that inevitable, as it is in life, invited all of us to deal with chaos, ambiguity, creativity, emotions.. These, becoming as much part of the learning process, as some practical results and outcomes.
As a result, a S4L Fanzine has been edited and published with essays, artwork and stories by participants and trainers, sharing the essence and content of the course.
Innovative workshops were designed and implemented by participants in an intense day full of difficult tasks: group work, decision making, communicating ideas, developing coherent non-formal learning experiences, to finally discover and apply facilitation skills!
We could definitely share a vision of science, not only based on materialism and objectivity, but a science that integrates subjectivity and observes a sentient world.
And to enrich the experience, community work supported by a Service & Care program of activities, and “3 Senses workshops” helped us grounding our mind, body and soul in the now and the place; creating and transforming reality, through active citizenship and community in action!
We would like to thank our partner organizations: Children&Youth in Community (UK); Cia Cekija (CZ) ; Muovimente (IT); Laja Foundation (PL); Pandora (HU); TETRA (BE); Animam Viventem (PT) and La Noguera (SP).
We would also like to give special thanks to our National Agency for ERASMUS+ Youth projects in Spain.
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