Stars and STEM Stories
ECCA trainings Held for Child Clubs in Dhankuta, Morang, and Jhapa Districts in Nepal
Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) recently conducted a Capacity Building Training for Child Clubs from 22-18 May 2023 for the representative members of Child Clubs from 16 project schools of Dhankuta, Morang and Jhapa in the eastern part of Nepal. A five-day training was conducted for each of the three districts, consecutively. The training was aimed at enhancing the capacity of the project schools' Child Clubs through educational sessions on several subjects; participants learned how to approach and help communities and schools with different ECCA agendas.
The project schools in the training are schools with little to no practical science learning methodology in place. GLOBE has exposed them to the perks of using the practical approach in educating students. The easy-to-understand GLOBE Protocols have sparked the curiosities and interests of many students and teachers as well. As such, the integration of GLOBE in the ECCA training has resulted in the effectiveness of achieving the training objectives of enhancing the capacity of the Child Clubs.
During the training, participants were introduced to GLOBE and its protocols and participated in a live practice of one of the protocols. Although The GLOBE Program has already been introduced to most schools, the reformed Child Clubs and the addition of new project schools made it a necessity to reintroduce the program. ECCA helped participants learn about the GLOBE's general methodology and objectives, emphasizing how the schools and students can be a part of the program and benefit from it.
When learning about the GLOBE Protocols, the participants had hands-on learning experiences identifying mosquito larvae and mosquito habitat mapping (see image on the left). Mosquito habitat mapping was positively received by the participants as it will be helpful during the summer months; people want to destroy the mosquito habitats in their schools and communities. The Child Clubs -- sharing knowledge from the training to schools and their surrounding communities -- will be actively involved in teaching about GLOBE and its protocols to other students. With GLOBE materials provided to the schools, they will also be able to facilitate practical learning.
ECCA's methodology of connecting experts to youth and communities as a chain of learning includes the students as an integral link of the chain. Trainings like this help equip the students with knowledge and skills to be the medium of sharing knowledge and bringing positive changes to their schools and communities. The GLOBE Program has provided students the opportunity to learn science as a practical subject rather than a limited course book, which has made ECCA's chain of learning more effective. From being conscious of the environment and environmental issues to making contributions to the caretaking of the environment, The GLOBE Program has inspired students and made it easier to develop awareness within their communities.
The schools in the training -- being schools mostly from rural areas of Nepal -- represent schools harder to reach and connect in GLOBE's network. With ECCA trainings like this, such difficult-to-reach areas can be included and many brilliant minds can be inspired to pursue science with enthusiasm, all while contributing to data collection for The GLOBE Program. The students and teachers can advocate the importance of a practical learning approach in their schools and come together in bringing positive changes to their schools and communities.
All photos courtesy of Dr. Desh Bandu, GLOBE Asia and Pacific Regional Coordination Office.
