ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s Environmental Education and Youth is calling all young people in Ireland and Northern Ireland to get involved in the island’s biggest celebration of youth ECO-Action by registering for the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2013 (YEA). Participation in the programme is a great way to learn about environmental issues, to take local action, make friends and have fun!
ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards in Focus
The YEA is a unique programme open to all young people in Ireland and Northern Ireland and has involved over 28,000 young people since 1999. Participants follow the ECO-UNESCO ‘6 Steps to Success’ to complete an environmental action project on a theme of their choice which can be easily linked with the formal school curriculum, and all participants are offered ongoing support and advice from the ECO-UNESCO team. Semi-final regional Dragons’ Den style ‘ECO-Dens’ are held in March-April and the finalists showcase their projects at the prestigious Showcase and Awards Ceremony in the Mansion House, Dublin in May.
ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2013 Timeline:
Friday 30th November 2012 – project registration deadline
Friday 22nd February 2012 – project submission deadline
March – April 2013 – regional ECO-Dens semi finals
May 2012 – Gala Showcase and Awards Ceremony 2013
Curriculum Links & New Transition Year Module
The ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) programme is designed to work with both Primary and Secondary curricula, and links with Geography, Science, SPHE, CSPE, Mathematics and Art syllabi. Participation in the YEA can be utilised as a recognised CSPE action project connecting to several CSPE concepts including; Stewardship, Interdependence and Rights and Responsibility. The YEA is an increasingly popular option for transition year students and ECO-UNESCO has developed a formal Transition Year Module which provides the tools required for teachers and schools to integrate the programme into their formal TY programme. YEA action projects can also be undertaken as part of the Gaisce Awards.
Participants choose their own topics under a range of themes including, biodiversity, climate change, energy, waste and water to name a few. In this way, projects can be tailored to link in strongly with students’ formal studies. Successful projects from 2012 explored issues such as the role of worms in sustainable waste management, the effects of climate change on local water birds, the effects of idling car engines on the environment, energy conservation, recycling and much more! To find out more about past projects, you can read the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards Shortlist Booklet 2012 on our website www.ecounesco.ie.