August 8, 2022
News
Caritas Czech Republic organized an Eco Summer Camp for Moldovan teenagers. They learned how to reuse, reduce and recycle human-made waste, how to be responsible towards our environment and much more. After joining the camp, 30 young Moldovans are now passionate advocates for environmental protection.
Summer camp - an environmental adventure away from the hustle of everyday life
The eco adventure took place in the middle of nature. This environment, disconnected from the hustle and bustle of urban life and away from technology, allowed young people to realise that nature provides everything mankind needs, and the outdoor lessons gave children the opportunity to combine theory with applied practice.
The summer camp lasted 5 days, during which the youth learned how to use reasonable environmental resources and what they can apply in their daily lives to recycle and reuse the human-made waste.
"Children love camps and are open to learning during these types of activities. The learning is interactive and non-formal and they like that. The Eco Summer Camp helped young people to realise the role of ecology and recycling. This helps them to take environmental issues all the more seriously and realise how they affect the future that belongs to them,“ says Andrij Dichtaruk, the camp's project manager.
Summer Camp - an interactive way of educating young people
Teenagers were keen to learn about all the important issues and gain knowledge about practical tasks they can perform in their daily lives. They particularly enjoyed the workshop on how to make their own compost and what modern technological tools they can use to do so.
During the camp the youth also met the Slovak Ambassador to Moldova, Mr. Pavol Ivan. In a discussion with the young people, the Ambassador stressed the importance of using the ecological alternative resources we have at our disposal.
The Ambassador explained that the use of ecological resources would make it easier for people to overcome the global energy crisis and urged the young people not to neglect the ecological field, but to give it importance because it is the field of the future.
Power of imagination - a good exercise to raise awareness on ecological issues
During the Eco Summer Camp, young people were asked to imagine that they were part of the earth's fauna or flora and that they had the opportunity to make a plea to humanity.
Ecaterina Grajdian (12 years old) imagined she is the river Nistru filled with garbage. She asked people to reduce the amount of garbage and not to consider the Nistru river a garbage bin: "Dear people, ...recycle!... I feel dirty and polluted. Little by little I'm shrinking and I'm losing my special beauty and my power."
Ipati Veronica (16 years old) has chosen the role of a turtle that has been trapped several times in plastic thrown into the ocean: "Please hear my prayer and respect my home, just as you respect your own, because a creature without a home is like a piece of rubbish left somewhere in the depths of the ocean..."
After 5 intense days, the children returned home as advocates for a clean and sustainable environment and will share what they learned at the camp with their peers, parents and friends.
The Eco Summer Camp carried out within the project "Building a functional and sustainable waste management system in Criuleni funded by SlovakAid and implemented by Caritas Slovakia and Caritas Czech Republic.
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