To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, the primary experienced-based school ‘De Sterrebloem’ in Belgium organized an inspiration day on Sustainable Development on Sunday 28 April. Teacher Ellen de Dapper phrased it like this: ‘There is no greater present for the birthday of the Sterrebloem than an Earth where everyone has a good life, as well as the generations to come.’ The eighty participants experienced a try-out of the end of the world by eco-comedian Steven Vromman. At the same time their resilience for a hopeful future was tested. In the afternoon the participants started a dialogue among themselves and the planet. Issues like meaningful agriculture-education and deliberative democracy were discussed as answers for social challenges.
The children of the school created video messages to emphasize their environmental engagement and reminded the participants about the fact they only borrow the Earth from their children. Joren (8 years old) said: ‘Why do grown-ups treat the earth so bad? Don’t they understand they are part of it?’
The day ended by signing the endorsement of the Earth Charter through which the school reinforced their social responsibility. The school created a beautiful interpretation of the Earth Charter for the children and use it to actively put the Charter into action.