The Transcarpathian Regional Center for Children’s and Youth Creativity “PADIUN” and expert from the Institute of Ecological and Religious Studies, Oksana Kremin, conducted the training “The future of the forest is in your hands” as part of the celebration of the International Day of Forests. The event was attanded by “PADIUN” students.
The training was held to achieve the following goals:
• conveying knowledge about forests and their importance to the survival of life on the planet,
• fostering a respectful attitude toward nature in the younger generation,
• ensuring young people’s interest in the preservation of forests.
• following forest behavior rules.
The event began with the question, “What is a forest? What is this word linked with?”. Then, using the game “Cornfon,” all of the participants got to know each other by saying their names and the animal with which they identify and why. They also talked about training rules and desired outcomes.
To de-stress and focus on the topic of the educational discussion, the students engaged in the “Sounds of Nature” exercise, in which they imagined themselves in the forest, listening to the sounds of trees, birds singing, and gurgling streams.
Children learnt about the functions of the forest, its value, and interesting facts about the key forest-forming species and animals – typical forest inhabitants – through the upgraded educational multimedia presentation.
The activity in creating the campaign poster “Let’s Save the Carpathians Forests” was relevant and imaginative. The students presented their views on the value of trees and the need to protect them using whatmans, markers, and magazines in the form of a collage. Other ecological tasks turned out to be enjoyable and informative: “Code of conduct in the forest”, “Guess the animal”, “Vegetation of the forest”, “What can’t you go to the forest with?”. Young conservationists conveyed their wishes and impressions from the training on the “Summary Tree,” summarizing the work done.
It was possible to generate an atmosphere of informal, relaxed dialogue among youngsters throughout the event, which offered up various ideas for dealing with the problem for which they had assembled. They came to the conclusion, along with the teachers, that only a common aim and acceptance of one’s own duty for nature protection can allow them to face socially significant environmental problems.
As a result, everyone should remember that the forest is not only a priceless natural resource, but also a symbol of life and health. We simply need to make an effort so that our generations can witness the unique beauty of forests! So, let us protect our natural wealth – our forests! This is our common responsibility.
The event was held within the framework of cooperation between between the Institute of Ecological and Religious Studies- IERS (headed by Alexander Bokotey) and the Nature Conservation Union of Germany (NABU Bundesverband, NABU International), project coordinators – Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), and financially supported by VGP Foundation.
Oksana Kremin, Head of the department of ecology and nature protection work of “Transcarpathian regional center of children’s and youth creativity “PADIUN” and IERS