The European Water Framework Directive requires the restoration and sustainableprotection of endangered European freshwater ecosystems like rivers until 2015. Theactive participation of the population, an important precondition to the successfulimplementation of the directive, has not yet been fully obtained. School education has tocontribute to the success of this directive. Teachers need in-service training offersenabling them to acquire the knowledge and competences necessary to address thecomplex topic of freshwater ecosystems in their teaching.The present project aims to develop a teacher training course of 5 days which will raisethe level of information and knowledge of teachers about “a good ecological condition”of freshwater ecosystems. It will provide participants with a didactical concept and toolshow to integrate this topic into teaching and will enable them to address activeenvironmental citizenship.The training course is based on Free your River/FYR, a SOCRATES/MINERVA-projectsuccessfully completed in Sept. 07’. Collaborative, IT-based, cross curricular,constructivist and experiential approaches, science-based working methods and asound didactical approach to active environmental citizenship will be given particularattention. Teachers will increase their basic competence in science, digital competence,the competence to communicate in foreign languages and their social and civiccompetence.The course target groups are teachers of science (Chemistry, Biology, Geography,Physics), languages or humanities at secondary schools.Future course organisers are a target group, in particular teacher trainers of secondaryschool teachers from all over Europe. Furthermore, scientific staff at universities andresearch organisations involved in science teaching is a target group.The indirect target group is pupils in the age range 14-19 years.Participants of the course will be encouraged to carry out projects on freshwaterecosystems after course completion. These projects will reach pupils, the localpopulation, local and regional water authorities and media.The project will thus reach alasting impact and contribute the implementation of the European Water FrameworkDirective. Furthermore, the competences acquired are applicable to all areas of activecitizenship.