From August 3 to 9, 2016 SunChild summer school was organized in the Eco-Center in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge. The one week school combined more than 20 workshop sessions, hiking study tours, environmental documentary film screening-discussions, meet-ups, national dance courses and other non-formal education based activities.
Teenagers who have been attending SunChild eco-clubs of Urtsadzor and Shaghap communities in Ararat region and Arpi community in Vayots Dzor region since April 2016, are participating in the Summer school. The aims of the Summer school are to put the young club members in touch with nature, to instill care for the environment and raise awareness about sustainable use of natural resources. The summer school is taking place in the Eco-Center of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge. The workshop series “Storytelling for a Sustainable World” held earlier this year in the mentioned eco-clubs included environmental & conservation photography, citizen reporting and social media classes.
The weekly courses of SunChild eco-clubs in these three communities were both theoretical and practical. Using their skills gained during the interactive courses in practice, these young people will become the initiators for awareness raising about their communities’ environmental problems. All stories authored by the youth are published at ecoclub.fpwc.org. The project was implemented with support of the US Forest Service.