Educating students for the circular economy – an economy that produces zero waste

The project “Educating pupils for the circular economy – a zero-waste economy” aims to increase the information of 900 pupils from 30 schools in Bucharest, regarding the circular economy, through non-formal education. In the 1976 research report by Walter Stahel and Genevieve Reday for the European Commission and called “The Potential to Substitute the Human Workforce for Energy,” the two researchers outlined the vision of an economic loop (or circular economy) and its effect on creation. jobs, economic competitiveness, saving resources and preventing waste. From this perspective education for the circular economy plays a key role in the instructional-educational process and the change of the behavior of educators towards the environment through positive approaches. The present project covers the following areas: supporting teachers in carrying out non-formal education activities with students for the accumulation of knowledge, developing skills and training to improve the quality of education and to stimulate innovation in education systems in terms of education for economy.

Specific objectives of the project:

  • Improving competences by experimenting with innovative methods and practices for educating for circular economy of 900 students from 30 schools in Bucharest;
  • Elaboration of a methodological guide in which projects of non-formal activities for the education of students for the circular economy are presented;
  • Presentation of education campaigns for circular economy in communities.

The target group is made up of 900 students from 30 pilot education units (5 educational units per sector). At each level of the 30 pilot schools will be made up of 3 groups of 10 students / group, which will participate in the practical activities of non-formal education regarding the circular economy (4 activities / group of 10 students, 1 h / activity). . In this way, the 60 projected activities, according to the work plans in the Methodological Guide, will be piloted, by the 30 teachers from the pilot schools.

The dissemination plan of the project envisages two stages of work:

  1. At the target group level, the impact analysis of the project will be carried out on the basis of questionnaires and interviews that will be conducted during the workshops and on the occasion of the final conference.
  2. The implementation team from the ISMB level will draw up an evaluation report based on the feedback from the target group, which will be subsequently transmitted to the educational institutions involved and presented to the Board of Directors, to the Teacher Councils, to the Councils of parents and pupils’ representatives, on the sites of pilot schools. The evaluation report will also be disseminated to the external partners involved – ADDE.

The information and promotion manager within the project will elaborate and publish in the local press an article on the results and impact of the project on the pre-university education system in Bucharest.

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