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Catering for All: Education for Sustainable Develo..
Catering for All: Education for Sustainable Development and Nature Site and Organisation Management and Awareness Raising
Start date: Jul 1, 2014,
End date: Jun 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a key issue that requires awareness-raising and continuous learning and development and is one of UNESCO’s priorities. It directly touches on different aspects of people's lives - from our security to our welfare, from our social relations to our health. The effect of human activities has been magnified in recent years by population growth, over exploitation of resources and global climate change. It is therefore important to refocus education programmes so that they enable educators and learners towards sustainable living. ESD needs to be developed further within both teaching and learning perspectives, with materials developed to create desired learning outcomes that include academic understanding, acquisition of values, increased capacity, skills development and the adoption of attitudes and behaviour conducive to sustainable lifestyles. In order to address these issues a holistic approach integrating all aspects related to conservation and sustainability needs to be implemented. Most of the educational material for educators and learners is seldom based on a local context and consequently awareness about local environmental issues is either lacking or superficial. Moreover, the education experiences tend to be linear and text based that, more often than not, fail to provide learners with insight into the multifaceted nature and complex network of relationships inherent in sustainable development issues. In this respect the necessity to provide learners of all ages ranging from infants to adults well past retirement including persons with disabilities who unfortunately tend to be left out of the equation with the opportunity to develop an awareness of the various dimensions of sustainable development at all levels (social, economical, environmental, intercultural) and their intricate interrelationships; threats of unsustainable practices and their impact; and possible actions that can be adopted to guarantee a sustainable future. Through this project training NTM plans to equip staff and volunteers better to be able to strengthen Education for Sustainable Development and to develop new educational contents and materials; and formulate new learning paths that would take into account the meaning and importance Sustainable Development, nature parks, inclusion and biodiversity on the Maltese Islands, the drivers affecting its status and trends.
Key staff will obtain training within BIOSPEKTRUM through the exchange of experiences, management and good educational practices in the two countries in the aspects of the education of the population mainly adults who are not so easily reached.
NTM has already for some years been organising/providing nature visits for educators, teachers, young people and schools in local Nature Parks and other sites in the countryside as well as talks about marine life, wildlife and plants. With this training it is expected to reach out to more people, who are beyond school age, be more effective and increase environmental awareness. NTM regularly organises exchanges and seminars to enhance further education and awareness.
NTM is planning to further promote eco-tourism and eco-experiences to increase the appreciation of nature and local heritage as an invaluable resource in need of protection and social-economic benefits for local communities, stakeholders and regions;
The main objective of NTM staff training/teaching in BIOSPEKTRUM NGO is to promote, learn about and disseminate European experiences and innovations in education for 21st century and update, improve and develop in all educational fields and disciplines of Education for Sustainable Development catering for all ages, needs, and categories of people.