COM.UNI.D.A.D(UNITED UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIVERSITY DYNAMICS)
Our COM.UNID.A.D environmental awareness project was launched in 2014, recognized the same year by the Provincial Council of Education through Resolution 1888/14.
Given that we believe that participation is essential in conservation, and we acknowledge environmental education as an indispensable tool for the development of environment friendly practices, this projects main goal is to continue educational activities carried out by Ambiente Sur, strengthen and focus on them with students at all levels of the city´s formal education system.
Goals:
To formalize and systematize environmental education actions by Ambiente Sur with the different levels of the formal education system in Río Gallegos and other cities.
To continue strengthening awareness-raising and environmental awareness actions developed by Ambiente Sur, which are aimed at teachers and students at all levels of the provincial education system
To encourage the provincial educational community to participate in recreational-educational activities, designed for the different age levels of students in the province.
Subprograms and activities:
The development of our environmental awareness program is based on three specific and complementary lines of work. Each one contemplates the implementation of actions and activities defined according to specific environmental subjects, while considering in particular the recipients of each program. These lines of work are:
D.1) UNRS knowledge and valorization subprogram
In order to know, value, and preserve our Urban Nature Reserves System (UNRS), several programs and actions have been developed. They look forward to consolidate participatory management of protected areas with a strong participation of civil society; this means encouraging citizen participation. In order to achieve this, the "Gallegos River Estuary" Environment Interpretation Center (CIERG) is strategically used. Its aim is to highlight important features of this environment, in a didactic, attractive way, that functions as a trigger for this heritage to be visited, admired and valued through direct experience, while looking forward to a greater involvement in its knowledge and conservation.
This subprogram implies the development and concretion of actions and activities divided into three core tactics:
Visitas Escolares al CIERG: School Visits to the CIERG: We welcome students and teachers in different levels of the Provincial Educational System so they can learn, through an entertaining and didactic approach, about history, importance and necessity of the Gallegos River Estuary’s conservation. Activities included in the visits are adapted to the characteristics and needs of students in all educational levels in the province. These include theatrical plays, guided tours in the Interpretation Center, videos and recreational activities, among others.
Training activities: Training developed for teachers at all levels of the education system, prioritizing work with preschool and primary schools teachers. These activities include conferences, courses or dissertations, which aim to value the biodiversity and wealth that the estuary and other natural environments provide, as well as learn about the threats it faces and the different conservation actions that can be developed.
Design and building of didactic materials: Didactic materials that suit age and general characteristics of the students of different levels of the education system are built, focusing on knowledge, value and conservation of the biodiversity in local natural environments, as well as in the cultural and recreational wealth they represent.
D.2) The Macá Tobiano and its Environment Subprogram
In the development of this specific line of action we will deploy activities in three axes:
Teacher Training: Designed for teachers from all cities in the province, especially preschool and primary teachers. This training provides specific information about the Hooded grebe, and offers an overview on the subject using specific didactic tools, which take into account the characteristics and specifications of each educational level.
Educational Workshops: In primary schools of Rio Gallegos and other cities near the species. During these workshops, information and teaching materials are provided to the students; such as Macanudo, our bird cartoon character.
Theatrical plays: Mainly focused on narrating aspects of the Hooded grebe’s natural environment, its features, the problems and threats it faces, as well as suggesting actions intended to the conservation and care of this species. Performances in kindergartens and the first two grades of primary schools in Río Gallegos are planned, just like visits to other cities in the province.
D.3) Pride Festivals Subprogram
As a strategy to appeal to the general public, several Pride Festivals have been planned. Festival implies a celebration, and therefore we hope that this kind of event is useful in associating conservation and maintenance of a healthy environment for everyone with enjoyment, feeling good and feeling proud of and commitment to the place where we live.
The festivals are a very interesting strategy that allows reaching to a diverse audience, through a range of activities that mix the academic with the cultural and recreational, which enables us to reach the objectives pursued more efficiently.
Within the COM.UNI.D.A.D PROJECT, two Pride Festivals were planned. They will address issues and aspects both of conservation and environmental care, threats faced by local natural environments, and actions and conservation activities. Each of these festivals will have a specific theme: the Shorebirds Provincial Festival, and the Hooded grebe Festival.
