Earth Charter youth activist Hanouf Al-Alawi from Iraq took the initiative to present the principles and values for sustainability in Syria, where she currently lives. Hanouf firstly got introduced to the EC through online course Youth Leadership, Sustainability and Ethics.
Thank you Hanouf for your continuous support for the EC and for this article!
The presentation was given during a 3 day workshop (3rd-5th May, 2011) held at Massar premise during which 30 representatives from the government, international agencies, and grassroots came together to discuss the appropriate approach to non-formal activities that can be implemented in 16 schools in Aleppo, in the Northern part of Syria, and in order to create synergies and networking amongst the stakeholders. This is part of a 3 year project (August 2010- July 2013) funded by Reach Out To Asia, in order to equip the young people of Syria with the necessary skills and knowledge to become ecocitizens.
Attendees of the workshop included people from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, Youth Union, UNDP, UNICEF, Syrian Pioneers, Sustainable Business Associates, and two pedagogical environment experts from Jordan.
The Earth Charter presentation aimed to highlight how this living document can be used as an inspiration and guide to the development of any activities and school projects in the mentioned schools. It discussed the following main points:
- The Earth Charter formation and the principles of the Earth Charter
- Why the Earth Charter?
- The Earth Charter Guidebook for Teachers: a unique pedagogical approach woven internationally but applicable locally
- The four basic principles for any educational environment activity inspired by the Earth Charter
- Learning from 10 years of experience: Recommendations for the use of the Earth Charter in non-formal education given during the 10th year EC anniversary held in India (November, 2010)
- Ten aspects of quality education set by the UNESCO
The presentation concluded with a questions and answers session.
Hanouf’s PowerPoint presentation is available here.
