Planning education to care for the earth - IUCN Knowledge Network

Planning education to care for the earth•community education, planning, the role of professional institutes,rural and urban studies, nature conservation, and leisure activities;•Participation in workshops and conferences arranged by other bodies,in some cases organized as a means of channelling opinions to theWorking Group e.g. on development education and values education.These initiatives produced a great deal of material and created much interestat a time of change, for example in the structure and functions of majorenvironmental organizations, the school curriculum, the organization andfunding of higher education, the environmental sensitivity of business andindustry, and the development of environmental charters.Workshops and seminars were perhaps the most rewarding experience. Theparticipants represented a wide range of interests - from senior civil servantsand academic figures to organizers of local play groups and youthorganizations. They welcomed the opportunity to discuss shared concernswith people they might never have had the occasion to meet previously.These gatherings established new contacts and generated new initiatives.One of the working group’s most useful outcomes might be to provide amechanism for continuing this form of activity beyond its own lifetime.The Working Group divided its activities among a number of sub-groupsrepresenting the different fields of learning experience through which peoplepass, rather than a more conventional approach based on the providers ofeducation. This was a rewarding and stimulating initiative. Six of the subgroupsrepresented respectively : home; community; school; post-schooleducation; workplace; and recreation and leisure. Two more sub-groups dealtwith external influences: the media, entertainment and advertising; andpolicy-makers in national and local government and elsewhere.Each sub-group was convened by a member of the working group butincluded outsiders, thus extending the range of expertise and the number ofpeople with a stake in the final conclusions and recommendations. Each subgroupadopted its own way of working, some by enlarging the group, othersby setting up interviews and workshops. A set of reports from the sub-groupswas presented to a conference attended by many of the interested parties.The discussion of the reports produced much advice helpful in the draftingof the Working Group’s final report.In its final stages the draft report of the Working Group was taken to some ofthe major bodies in the public and private sectors which would be involvedin implementation for comments on its practicability. All were positive andencouraging.The final report has four main chapters and several annexes. It begins with anintroduction to environmental education in Scotland, and continues with areview of current activities by category, for example, national and localgovernment, schools and post-school formal education, industry, the urbanand rural sectors, and voluntary organizations. A further chapter assessespresent needs and prospects as outlined by the sub-groups in differentlearning contexts. Recommendations for a strategy occupy the final chapter.114