Stars and STEM Stories
Nepal Holds ECCA Training for College Students Using GLOBE's Cloud Protocol and GLOBE Observer App
Nepal's Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) organized Counsellor Training Camp for 22 youth from 11 colleges at the ECCA Training Hall in January 2024. The camp was focused on WASH-N, School Environment, PwD, Intellectual Disability, Climate Learning, GLOBE (learning through The GLOBE Program's app, GLOBE Observer), GLOBE's Cloud Protocol, ECD and life skills. The training was provided to college students to send in different village schools and train the teachers and students to improve the education skills. As always, GLOBE activities nurture “knowing-doing science” and the trained individuals will facilitate other students and teachers to do GLOBE in their schools.
ECCA cannot reach every school and student who doesn't have resources for this type of support; ECCA provides technical and financial resources as well as a platform for youths to learn, share and implement their learning in rural and urban schools and communities.
In many schools in Nepal, science education is not common practice. Learning, doing, and practicing science activities are very important skills for the promotion of STEM education. Although many science students are succeeding in their degrees, they are not used to doing hands-on activities which creates discomfort while teaching. To address this issue, ECCA has initiated small science activities on climate learning through GLOBE Protocols with students and teachers. This approach allows students to learn science with fun activities and ECCA's belief in knowing, doing, and sustaining these practices. By introducing GLOBE activities to college students, ECCA can use their help to promote GLOBE in schools.
These types of trainings and activities will help to introduce The GLOBE Program to others and will help to promote citizen science and more interest in GLOBE activities. There is a high chance of introducing GLOBE learning in the participants' homes, schools and colleges, with juniors sharing their knowledge with seniors. They all will become great GLOBE alumni, assisting in promoting GLOBE in their communities and wherever else needed.
Creating science interest in younger students is important for doing science through elementary and high school. Realization of this is very important among teachers; Teachers should know science and do science together with small children so the students will gain that interest. The GLOBE Program is a perfect tool to ignite and enhance interest in STEM. These ECCA trainings help spread science learning through the country.
Images courtesy Yogendra Chitrakar, GLOBE Nepal Country Coordinator.