According to our observations and analysis in Siedlecki district (Mazowieckie Voivodeship), most of the municipalities lacks any offer for the young people to spend their free time in a productive way. Additionally, these areas are known for poor air quality due to trash burning and the general waste pollution in the local forests.
No address these issues, we have organized a collective forest and meadows cleanup with students and their families from six local towns. We have also conducted an Oxford debate about forest trash dumping. Afterwards, the youth conducted some classes in kindergartens that focused on protecting the environment. We have also organized a series of workshops focused on communication in the classroom, public speaking, running civic campaigns, and simple film editing. Next, each group created their own short film about protecting their local environment. The evaluation conference concluded the project, taking part in each of the six schools with representatives of the local government, church, the National Forests, and Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water management in Warsaw present. The young people shared their impressions and results of their work.
Thanks to the project we managed to gather around three tons of garbage in the local forests. Initially, we were noticing an element of indifference among the teachers and students, but after the debates we have noticed a change. Teachers also shared with us that these types of teaching methods are incredibly useful and needed.