Med andra ögon Naturmöten med invandrare ISBN 978-91 ... - SLU

Summary
NATURVÅRDSVERKET
Rapport 5808
In May 2006 the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency assigned the Gothenburg
Environment Administration to develop methods in order to increase interest in
nature and the environment among immigrants; primarily to encourage immigrants
to use nature for relief and recreation, but also to create a deeper understanding for
the complex relationship between man and nature in a global perspective. The assignment
also includes collecting knowledge from this and similar projects and to
spread this information to the public and to different organizations and authorities.
This objective has been fulfilled by radio and television programs, articles in newspapers
and weekly magazines and by a number of lectures to local and regional politicians
and officials throughout Sweden.
The project was planned and carried out in subprojects such as guided nature tours,
an exhibition and in-service training for mother tongue minority language teachers.
Primarily the work has focused upon guided tours in the countryside, forest walks,
trips to islands, fishing excursions and a summer camp for young people. The composition
of the groups has varied regarding age, sex, educational background and
nationality; students, women, families, teenagers, school children, university graduates
and people who are unemployed have participated.
The project was carried out in cooperation with a number of immigrant associations,
cultural institutions, sport life organizations, city councils and authorities. The choice
of methods has had double purposes; first of all to make people feel safe in contact
with nature and the countryside, but also to give them more knowledge of the importance
of our natural resources, both for individuals and for society in general.
One starting point has been never to impose a ready made form for how to regard
nature. Instead the work has concentrated on a learning process where individual
experiences and interests have been in focus. The participating groups have been
able to freely create the ways of taking in the knowledge they need to form their own
opinions.
An important part of the project has been to find ways of continuous cooperation
between immigrant associations and other organisations. A central idea has been that
it is difficult or impossible to create a long term interest in these questions if the
immigrants themselves are not allowed to take a decisive responsibility.
In order for the objectives of the project to be reached it is necessary to have an open
mind to other cultures and for the unknown and a wish to learn to understand the
points of view of other peoples and cultures, simply to meet people on their own
conditions. This is only possible by working together with those immigrants who are
already involved and active in neighborhoods; suburban areas, workplaces, schools
and cultural institutions. The numerous immigrant associations all around the country
give us a unique possibility to make connections. The members can reach groups
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