Ecology, European Values and Active Citizenship Conference

Date: 20.06.2024

Venue: "Mircea Eliade" Theoretical High School's hall, Intorsura Buzaului, Covasna Romania

In today's world of complex and interconnected challenges, education plays a central role in preparing young people to become responsible and engaged citizens. Mircea Eliade Theretical High School organized a multiplier event that focused on these crucial aspects. We invited local authorities, teachers from differents schools in neighboring areas, students, and parents to spread the word about environmental protection and active citizenship, aiming to foster awareness and build future collaborations.

Environmental education is not just about knowing the environment, but also about developing a deep awareness of our relationship with nature. Through environmental education, young people learn about:

Sustainability: they discover the importance of conserving natural resources and using them sustainably. They understand that every action has an impact on the environment and that we must manage resources carefully to preserve them for future generations.

Personal and community responsibility: young people are encouraged to take action to protect the environment, whether it's recycling, saving energy or participating in local environmental projects. This helps them become responsible and active citizens.

Critical thinking: Environmental education develops the ability to analyze and find solutions to complex environmental problems, promoting innovative and solution-oriented thinking.

The combination of environmental education and European values creates a robust framework for active citizenship training as it incorporates:

Community involvement: young people are encouraged to participate actively in the life of the community, contributing to local problem solving and social development.

Democratic participation: They learn to express their opinions, participate in debates and get involved in decision-making processes, thus becoming active and informed citizens.

Global responsibility: They understand that their actions have an impact not only locally but also globally, and are motivated to contribute to solving global problems such as climate change and social inequality.

Our multiplier event started with the registration and welcoming of participants, followed by the formal opening which included a welcome speech given by Iulia Maria Banciu, LTME's headmistress, and  the presentation of the agenda and objectives of the conference - Elena Mihaela Mitrea, LTME's project coordinator. 

The next parts of the conference followed:

1. General presentation of the Erasmus + projects.
2. Presentation of the project We are Green Europe: its aim, objectives, activities carried out, project team and partners involved, intellectual outputs: Output 1 - A guide book and e-guide book about how to adopt the 5Rs in our life and Output 2 - A three-part educational kit that can be used to increase environmental awareness. We also discussed the importance of using social-emotional methods during teaching-learning activities.
3. Plenary Session: The importance of ecology and European values in youth education. Guests: Mrs.Maria Bularca, Eco-challenge team (1st place at the national stage of the 2022-2023 competition) and EPAS Junior Ambassadors.
4. Case studies and student presentations. Presentations by students involved in the project, experiences and lessons learned from project activities and the impact of the project on the local community (students, teachers, parents and other community members).
5. Questions and answers from the audience.
6. Closing: summary of the day and final conclusions; also, announcement of future events and the next steps of the project.

To concude, environmental education and European values are fundamental to the formation of active and responsible citizenship. They provide young people with the knowledge, skills and values to contribute positively to society and to face the challenges of the future. By cultivating respect for the environment and for the fundamental values of democracy and human rights, we prepare young people not just to become citizens of Europe, but citizens of the world. We ended our conference with the promise that the IO1 and IO2 will be implemented in our schools and our private lives. We shared the links to IO1 and IO2 materials with the invited teachers from the neighbouring primary and lower secondary schools, local authorities, students and parents. We also uploaded the link to the Erasmus+ project We are Green Europe on our school website for a future reference.

The "We are Green Europe" Erasmus + project has been one of the important steps we take each day to work together for a more sustainable and fair future for all.

Conference link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BE6cNvt2i0