This report was submitted by Earth Charter Affiliate, Sofia Savelava in Belarus and Volha Luksha, Coordinator of Braslav Resource Centre of Education for Sustainable Development.
The Week of Sustainable Development is a traditional event that is annually held in Belarus. The organizers of the event are Johannes Rau International Centre for Education and Exchange, the “Support Programme Belarus” of the German Federal Government 2012-2014, and other organizations. The SD School Partnership Network is one of the main participants of the event and supports and promotes the ideas of sustainable development through local actions wherever their members are active.
The SD School Partnership Network uses the ideas of the Earth Charter as its basic principles: Earth is our home; providing global safety is our care; universal responsibility is our principle of collaborative work and general activities.
This year there were about 50 different actions during SD Week that were organized for various social groups and local authorities by the SD School Partnership Network members. The National actions were:
1. International Theoretical and Practical Conference “Education for Sustainable Development as Collaborative Work of Educational System Representatives” (April 18-20, 2013, Vitebsk Gymnasium #4)
2. Discussion “Prospects of Renewable Energy in Belarus ” (April 22, 2013, Mogilev)
3. Scientific Café “Ecological Management as a Part of Organizational Sustainable Development” (April 25, 2013, Minsk)
4. The 3rd National Theoretical and Practical SD Conference “Partnership in Action” (April 26-27, 2013, Johannes Rau International Centre for Education and Exchange, Minsk)
There are some of the regional actions:
1. “Spring Week of Kindness” (Novopolotsk School #12)
2. Seminar “Youth Potential and its Role in Sustainable Development of the Region” (Mogilev Region Institute of Education Development)
3. National Festival “Stairs of Success” (April 20-22, 2013, Minsk City Centre of Children and Youth)
4. “Green Gift for a Friend” (April 20-25, 2013, Minsk Recovery Centre)
5. An educational game “Let’s Save Earth Energy” (Khodosovskaya School)
6. “Think of Future – Act at Present” (April 22, 2013, Gomel Association of Children and Youth)
7. National Festival of Short Movies “View” (April 23, 2013, Brest Youth Association “The Disabled and the Surroundings”)
8. “Workshop of Future” (Orsha Secondary School #16)
9. Action “My Beautiful Homeland” (Khodosovskaya School)
10. Practical seminar “Initiatives of the Youth and Adults to Support the Ideas of Sustainable Development” (April 24, 2013, Kostyukovichi Gymnasium)
11. Round Table “Saving Energy at Home” (April 25, 2013, Zditovskaya School)
12. Festival of Youth and Adults Initiatives (April 22-29, 2013, Molodechno Gymnasium-College of Art)
On the eve of the SD Week in Belarus, the International Spring Discussion Camp of SD School Partnership Network Participants was held in Braslav. Youth teams worked out different initiatives of regional actions that support the ideas of sustainable development and the Earth Charter. The actions were the following:
1. Interactive Talk “Talk to Me” (April 25, 2013, Molodechno Gymnasium-College of Art)
2. Concert “Do Good to Everyone!” (April 27, 2013, Druya Children’s Home)
3. Action “Flying Patrol” (April 20-26, 2013, Molodechno School #9)
4. “About Economy in Pictures” (April 20-28, 2013, Ivanovo Gymnasium)
5. PR-action “Give a Helping Paw” (April 20-28, 2013, Vitebsk Gymnasium #4)
6. Interactive mini-theatre “Save Our Forests” (April 20-28, 2013, Braslav Gymnasium)
7. Across-the-border action “Renew the Forest – Clean the Air in the City” (April 20-28, 2013, Braslav, Minsk, Druya (Belarus), Daugavpils (Latvia).
Moreover, some of the SD School Partnership members took part in the Earth Charter International webinar with Severn Suzuki-Cullis on April 22nd, 2013.
