The term „environment: means something more or less different to every one of us. Human activity causes many difficulties for the surroundings. People would like to live in clean surroundings and use its natural resources at will. Not so long ago the natural resources were thought to be inexhaustible. Current affairs show us different examples. We are a part of nature, and by destroying it, disregarding its laws – we are destroying our surroundings and ourselves. Aim of the natural sciences teaching should not only be to provide an appropriate amount of information, but also to create attitudes allowing skullful taking of effective decisions on dangers towards the environment.

The Nature in practice – outdoor education of youth is a step in ecological education of children and youth, a possibility to learn through a direct and active contact with the natural environment. Polisensoric learning about the world allows to reinforce the educational effects, acquiring necessary habits. The main pressure is placed at youth’s activities in and for environment. The project is to equip the participants in pro-ecological skills and approaches, and an accessible and more natural, meaning practical, way to make the world of nature closer is to making young people aware that they are a part of it. Living with nature and in nature may develop higher feelings, admiration to the surroundings, deep thoughts on life and amazement over the known and the need to learn about the unknown. The ever-changing forest in the best workshop. It allows direct observation of each element of nature at each time of the year. Direct contact with nature cannot be exchanged by even the most advanced presentations, stories, films or lessons.

The Project’s aim is to interest young people in widely understood ecology, the co-existence of human with nature, building positive relations with the surroundings and to show the possibilities for development and work connected with nature. The activity is directed at youth from higher classes of elementary and secondary schools and is calculated to engage at least 3000 pupils in the project. The project activity area is the Bielsko-Biała Commune, Bielsko Commune and neighbouring communes, together with Communes of Ustroń, Węgierska Górka, and Wisła. Training tasks are based on the knowledge base of trainers, foresting services employees, and knowledge acquired during trainings and information base in portable computers and the Internet. The educational process is also supported by materials such as educational programmes and numerous examples taken from the surrounding forest environment (mushrooms, woodworm, protected species, marking trees and others). An interesting aspect of the trainings are elements connected with a school of survival in a forest environment (poisonous plants, edible plants, behaviour during unfavourable weather conditions, work with a map, etc. ).

The project met great interest of schools and students. The assumed 3000 participants can be multiplied by three in a longer period of time. The Foundation is trying to meet these expectations by looking for new possibilities for pro-ecological education of the youth.

More information at the project website.