It is known that a large part of the success of the "conservation" of natural resources is based on achieving a change in attitude and culture. Considering the above premise, the "administration of the PNJBPR" together with the EVANS Project of the "Moscoso Puello Foundation" (FMP), has been developing "interactive environmental education" activities through a group of 40 students from the three rounds of the " Liceo de Constanza ”.
During three months (October, November and December), a series of activities have been developed in order to provide tools and information that allow a gradual change of attitude and values that allow the construction of a “new ecological culture” in the group of students. selected.
progress-report-of-the-environmental-education-program-1Originally the "environmental education program" was inserted among one of the objectives of the "Quarterly Emerging Plan" of the PNJBPR, but due to a series of difficulties and limitations it was reoriented and focused actions on the development and monitoring of the work with the group of students who constituted the "Youth Committee of Friends of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park".
The current document presents a "progress report" of the actions undertaken by the "Environmental Education Program" of the PNJBPR, in general and basic form, since its main objective is to serve as a test for the development of strategies, goals and actions. to be proposed in the management programs and subprograms of the PNJBPR Management Plan, so that at the end of the complete cycle a detailed report will be presented where the results and scope of the exercise will be analyzed.
2.Objectives
Report on the general and specific progress of the "environmental education program" aimed at a select group of high school students from Constanza, within the original scheme of the "PNJBPR Emergent Plan", which allowed the formation of the "Youth Committee of Friends of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park ”.
Present the preliminary results, without analysis, on the "evolution" of the "interactive environmental education" process through the presentation of special research works on "water recovery" as a case study of the municipality of Constanza.
Establish the steps to follow for the development of "interactive environmental education" activities for 2006, with the aim of concluding the cycle that will also serve as an exercise to consolidate the proposals to be integrated into the programs and subprograms of the Environmental Management Plan. PNJBPR.
3 Background and Scope
At the end of September 2005, jointly the administration of the PNJBPR and the EVANS Project of the Moscoso Puello Foundation, with the support of the International Consultant in Protected Areas, Lic. Marvin Melgar Ceballos, presented to the Areas Directorate Protegida (DAP) an “Emergent Plan” to be implemented during the quarter from October to December of the year 2005, whose main aim was to improve the level of coordination and action between the PNJBPR team and the EVANS Project of the FMP.
Originally the Emergent Plan developed three lines of action, due to limitations in financial, human and logistical resources, gradually it was reduced to the development of a single line of action that was oriented to "interactive environmental education". Using the following methodological steps, the “Youth Committee of Friends of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park” was formed, mainly made up of outstanding students from the three days (morning, afternoon and evening) of “Liceo de Constanza”.
Methodological step Description
Step 1 Meeting 1: of the emergent planning team of the PNJBPR, made up of the administrator of the protected area (including park rangers), the team of the FMP EVANS Project and consultant of Protected Areas, to design the model for the insertion of environmental education actions at the level of the municipality of Constanza.
Step 2 Meeting 2: design of an “interactive environmental education program”, selecting the topics to be developed at the level of workshops and case studies with students to be part of the “Youth Committee of Friends of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park” (CJA)
Step 3 Meeting 3: with directors of the morning, afternoon and evening sessions of the Liceo de Constanza, to present the program and activities to be carried out.
Step 4 Meeting 4: follow-up with directors and those responsible for selecting students for the three days of the Liceo de Constanza.
Step 5 Meeting 5: presentation of the list of students to make up the CJA, analysis of student profiles.
Step 6 Meeting 6: informal meeting with students from the list to present the responsibility proposal and signature of the “LETTER OF COMMITMENT TO PARTICIPATION”.
Step 7: Workshop 1: development of "Importance of the PNJBPR for the development of the municipality of Constanza", presentation of a presentation and interactive work "Wall Newspaper" and "Intergroup Competition".
Methodological step Description
Step 8: Meeting 7, 8 and 9: individual meetings of heads of working groups for the development of interactive work "Wall Newspaper" and "Intergroup Competition".
Step 9: Workshop 2: presentation of "Mural Newspaper" and "First Round of Intergroup Competition" on "Importance of the PNJBPR for the development of the municipality of Constaza".
Step 10 Workshop 3: “Second Round of Intergroup Competition” on “Importance of the PNJBPR for the development of the municipality of Constanza”.
Step 11 Workshop 4: development of "Water Valorization of the PNJBPR at regional and national level", presentation of a presentation and interactive work "Case Studies": 1. use of drinking water in the municipality of Constanza; 2. use of water for agricultural irrigation in the municipality of Constanza; and 3. use of water for hydroelectric power generation.
Step 12 Meeting 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15: independent activities were carried out at each meeting. Meeting 10: field and cabinet research model development; Meeting 11: review of primary and secondary information collected and feedback on activities to be developed; Meeting 12: presentation of the first version of the written report and feedback for the development of the presentation model; Meeting 14: first presentation of dramatization scripts to present in presentation workshop; and Meeting 15: presentation of dramatizations.
Step 13: Workshop 5: Workshop to present dramatizations about the case studies developed to members of other groups and special guests.
Step 14 Workshop 6: (pending development) "Management and Management of Solid Waste and Agrochemicals", development of "case studies" and "presentations at workshops in communities of Monte Llano and El Castillo".
Step 15 Meeting 16 and 17: (pending development) preparation of presentations to members of the communities of Monte Llano and El Castillo on aspects of the "Management and Management of Solid and Agrochemical Waste".
Step 16 Workshop 7: (pending development) community in Monte Llano, by students from “CJA” groups.
Step 17 Workshop 8: (pending development) community in El Castillo, by students from “CJA” groups.
Step 18 Workshop 9: delivery of certificates of participation, outstanding groups, outstanding students and special awards.
After having developed the first 13 methodological steps, it can be indicated that there is a consolidation of the "Youth Committee of Friends of the PNJBPR", to date (December 17, 2005), there is the proactive participation of 36 students from the three days educational of the "Liceo de Constanza". They are still pending to develop the last five methodological steps, which are planned to be carried out during the month of January 2006.
At the end of the cycle of activities, it is planned to develop with a core team of previously selected students a feedback process that allows the generation of a "final report" where an analysis of the viability of the "interactive environmental education" system is carried out, in order to evaluate the inclusion of the lessons learned in the "Management Plan of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park".
Why interactive environmental education?
At the beginning of the initiative that would lead to the formation of the “Youth Committee of Friends of the PNJBPR”, it was born in the internal meetings as a presentation to the authorities of the educational centers about what will allow students to remain encouraged in the exercise? And even more, how would they continue after finishing the exercise?
The foregoing stems from several examples where the Directors of the Lyceum and Professors had carried out similar exercises with other national and international actors. (but in other thematic areas) where it began with an excellent number of participants and at the third meeting there was only 20% participation and they ended up abandoning the exercise for the most part.
When evaluating the previous exercises (to be presented in the final version of the environmental education report), it was possible to determine four possible causes of the rapid decrease in interest in participating:
1. Most of the information was transferred in master classes or workshops, with abundant material, at a level that was not very understandable for the educational level and age;
2.The actions were sporadic, isolated and with no extracurricular participation by the students, so it was not conceived as a continuous process;
3. In general, only fourth year high school students were considered, who were about to leave their school year, therefore having other personal and educational priorities, very seldom was it considered to work with first and second grade high school students;
When asked directly about some experiences of similar exercises to the students, a last and ghostly point came to light, which despite its simplicity and perhaps superficiality had to be considered, THE WORKSHOPS, SPEAKERS, TRAINERS AND ACTIVITIES WERE NOT FUN!
The four previous points, together with other parameters and variables analyzed, were superimposed to develop an exercise that would strengthen the weaknesses and limitations identified. This logically led us to think of tools and activities that were mainly motivating and that were not only in a "single line" from the presenter to the students, but of both lines, that the students were and were part of a "team", making them "Researchers", "planners", "editors", "drama writers", "cartoonists" and "presenters".
The foregoing led to the selection of first and second year high school students, who were outstanding in terms of education, behavior and artistic attitudes, in order to have not only one educational profile but several that were complementary and allowed an exchange and complementarity when conforming the three working groups. What were called:
1.Group Las Águilas; (Godfather Carlos Antonio Abreu –Cachimbo)
2.Group Las Ciguas Plameras; (Godfather Marvin Melgar Ceballos) and
3.Group Ecological Investigators. (Godfather Luis Rosario Tapia).
As indicated previously to date, there are 36 of the 45 students who began activities in the first week of October, with only 20% dropouts, mainly caused as anticipated by 08 of the 10 students in the fourth cycle. which had been included at the request of the Evening Directorate of the Liceo de Constanza.
An important point in the exercise of “interactive environmental education” is that a large part of the responsibility not only for research and creation, but also for logistics prior to each activity and afterwards has been completely discharged in the groups, which has allowed maximizing the participation. In addition to generating a series of conjunctural reactions such as the participation of key community actors who have approached spontaneously by observing the degree of professionalism of the students and of the products that they are generating, as well as the parents themselves who are actively participating in the development of activities such as presentation workshops, even providing their own resources such as transportation and financing for snacks.
We must highlight, as previously indicated, a series of tools has also been developed that will allow evaluating the degree of increase in knowledge and attitude about natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystems, services and functions that the PNJBPR provides to the society of Constanza at the level social, economic and environmental. Results that will be presented specifically in the final report of the exercise at the end of the proposed methodological steps.
4.Results
In the following paragraphs, some of the preliminary results are presented in general so that those responsible for the DAP can evaluate the level of impact that has been achieved to date.
4.1 Result of the first cycle of "Importance of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park"
The first "cycle" of interactive environmental education, took as a principle the establishment of the "Importance of PNJBPR" for the internal and surrounding communities, directed towards the municipality of Constanza. It should be noted that during the development of the first cycle, the "Youth Committee of Friends of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park" was formed, as well as the working groups.
Description
Make the students participating in the exercise of "interactive environmental education" aware of the importance of the PNJBPR, considering the relationship between the management (use) of the natural resources of the protected area, mainly those related to agriculture.
Initial training workshop agenda
- Welcome General summary of the proposal (previously work had been done in work meetings) Official formation of the “Youth Committee of Friends of the PNJBPR” Social, economic and environmental importance of the PNJBPR Because we must protect the PNJPBR What role we have in the protection and management of the PNJBPR Relationship of the PNJBPR and the municipality of Constanza What is “interactive environmental education” Conformation of working groups Tasks of interactive environmental education
Interactive environmental education tasks
Three working groups were created (Las Águilas, Las Ciguas Palmeras and Los Investigadores Ecológicos), each working group was assigned a sponsor, who will be responsible for providing information and guidance for the development of activities that entailed the development of three "Wall newspapers" that would serve as the basis for the development of two "intergroup competition" activities to select a winner for the first cycle.
Summary of specific results
The results can be summarized in the following numbers:
- The Las Águilas group, produced a wall newspaper, whose title was "Agricultural and Social Problems of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park." The Las Ciguas Palmeras group, produced a wall newspaper, whose title was "Ecological, social and economic characteristics of the Park National Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier ”. The group Ecological Investigators, prepared a wall newspaper, whose title was“ Ecological research, foundation of the development and planning of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park ”.
Two workshops were developed (step 9 and 10), which were used for the "intergroup competition", in the first workshop (step 9) the "wall newspaper" was presented in physical form and through an exhibition, later it was carried out a series of generic questions on characteristics of the PNJBPR. The second workshop (step 10), a second "intergroup competition" was carried out where rounds of intergroup questions were developed, from the two workshops the following results were obtained. (The process and results will be further expanded in the final report).
Overall winner: Las Águilas Group (Godfather Carlos Antonio Abreu);
Outstanding coordinator: Abigail Corcino, Grupo Las Águilas.
Outstanding student: Carolina Abreu Cepeda.
Visual aesthetics: Las Ciguas Palmeras Group (Godfather Marvin Melgar).
4.2 Result of the second cycle "Water Valorization of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park"
The second cycle of "interactive environmental education", I consider specifying on an issue that should begin to be managed socially and economically within the municipality of Constanza, the "Water Valorization of the PNJBPR", an aspect that has been proposed as the backbone of the Management Plan 2006-2009.
Description
One of the characteristics with which each level of "interactive environmental education" was impregnated was to raise the degree of difficulty to challenge the members of the "Youth Committee of Friends of the PNJBPR" to be more creative and proactive. The second cycle was developed through a first training workshop and training, feedback and planning meetings (steps 11 and 12), each group (Las Águilas, Las Ciguas Palmeras and Los Investigadores Ecológicos) were independently instructed on basic notions and on some advanced occasions on “applied research”, advising them on the creation of tools such as: information collection reports; development of strategic questions; development of interviews with key stakeholders; mapping of key actors; use of INTERNET to capture secondary information, etc.
With the above, they were trained to develop (step 12) of "technical reports" (see annexes), which would serve as a basis for the creation of models for the effective transmission of information. Together, the groups and sponsors decided to use the scheme of " Opening ”(openings) and“ Technical Dramatizations ”(modified role plays), to achieve effective transfer of technical information to the society of Constanza.
The “Opening” (openings) and “Technical Dramatizations” (modified socio-drams) were presented in a “presentation workshop” aimed mainly at the groups (each group had been working on their investigations, opening and dramatizations separately and in “secret”) and a select group of key guests, made up mainly of parents, relatives, friends and relevant members of the constant society.
Initial training workshop agenda
- Feedback on the approach of “interactive environmental education” The role of group coordinators General data on watershed management What is water valorization? Water valorization of the protected areas of the Dominican Republic? Water valorization of the Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier National Park Environmental education tasks interactive
Interactive environmental education tasks
Each specific group, developed with the assistance of the sponsors and key actors, the investigations that would be used for the development of the "technical report" and the "Opening" and "Technical Dramas". The investigations were divided as follows:
Grupo de Las Águilas: "Case study on the use of drinking water in the municipality of Constanza"
Group of Ecological Researchers: "Case study on the use of water for agricultural irrigation in the Valle de Constanza"
Grupo de Las Ciguas Palmeras: "Case study on the use of water for the production of hydroelectric energy in the municipality of Constanza"
Each group was assisted through five work meetings, follow-up and feedback, which allowed the validation of the secondary and primary information collected as well as the development of short, easy-to-read technical reports, which would allow providing information that would also be used in the preparation of the "Water Valorization Survey".
It is important to highlight that each group selected the special guests and proceeded to make the invitations to participate in the “presentation workshop” of the “Opening” and “Technical Dramatizations”.
Summary of specific results
On Saturday, December 17, in the chapter house of the Constanza City Council, the “presentation workshop” (step 13) was held, aimed primarily at the members of the “Youth Committee of Friends of the PNJBPR” and the key invited actors.
It is necessary to highlight the high degree of organization shown by the members of each group, both in the assembly, development and evaluation phase, which allowed a high-level event and above all neatness. This favored the positive reception by key actors who served as external evaluators of the "interactive education program." The main results of the event are listed in a descriptive and visual way below.
5 steps to follow
From the presentation workshop, it was decided to restart activities on “Friday, January 6, 2006”, in order to carry out a planning that allows the operationalization of the following steps.
- Workshop on "Management and Management of Solid and Agrochemical Waste", development of "case studies" and "presentations in workshops in communities of Monte Llano and El Castillo." Meetings 16 and 17, preparation of presentations to members of communities of Monte Llano and El Castillo on aspects of the "Management and Handling of Solid and Agrochemical Waste." Community workshop in Monte Llano, by students from "CJA" groups. Community workshop in El Castillo, by students from "CJA" groups. Official activity of certificates of participation, outstanding groups, outstanding students and special awards.
