Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
Friends of Golden Sands Park
Zlatni Piasatsi National Park
Background
Like in any other large Bulgarian city, the air in Varna is polluted and the traffic is intense. These problems pre-determined the goals of the Golden Sands Park experts in the development of a project on new forms of environmental education. Their desire was to have Varna s children realize the significance of forests as a key element of living nature, a source of clean air, tranquility, harmony of colors and plentitude of animal species and plants; to understand the need for the preservation of natural variety; and to enrich their environmental knowledge.
Like in any other large Bulgarian city, the air in Varna is polluted and the traffic is intense. These problems pre-determined the goals of the Golden Sands Park experts in the development of a project on new forms of environmental education. Their desire was to have Varna s children realize the significance of forests as a key element of living nature, a source of clean air, tranquility, harmony of colors and plentitude of animal species and plants; to understand the need for the preservation of natural variety; and to enrich their environmental knowledge.
Practice
Friends of the Park Club was established spontaneously during the implementation of the Friends of the Golden Sands Park Program. The Club involves everyone who directly or indirectly participated in the project development and implementation: the Ministry of Education s Regional Inspectorate; the Cultural and Historic Heritage Directorate; the Varna Forestry Department; the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development; the Bulgarian Bird Protection Society; the Northern Black Sea Coast Protected Territories Foundation; and the faculty of four primary schools and two high schools.
During the academic 1999, the Golden Sands Park staff had meetings with the faculty of each school. Park experts gave lectures, organized drawing and writing competitions and held courses in the park for the individual classes.
At the end of the academic year, project staff organized a celebration for school students. The games motivated everyone and the Find the tree , Find the herbs and Find the waste and tell what you know about the pollutant competitions nurtured love to nature, curiosity and sportsmanship. The youth were registered in the Friends of the Park Club s registry and got membership books designed by students from the Private High School of Commerce. Each book had the name of its bearer and was not only a unique prize for students efforts but also served to promote the program. The competition winners got T-shirts with the park logo; the logo itself is an original design by Bogdana Georgieva from the Private High School of Commerce awarded first prize in a competition).
On October 9, 1999, the Park s friends from the schools gathered for a final celebration. All project participants got an environmental education brochure, The Nature Around Us , written and published as part of the project. The brochure provides information on the sites administered by the Golden Sands National Park Directorate and on the categories of protected territories. For all those who are interested in improving their environmental culture, the Directorate publishes a monthly newsletter. The local media were involved in project implementation and provided a wide coverage of the activities of Friends of the Park Club.
As a result of the continuous strong interest on behalf of students and teachers, the project evolved into an environmental education program administered by the Golden Sands National Park. The Municipalities of Varna and Aksakovo follow closely the program activities and assist the program team by participating in meetings, providing free facilities for program events, transport, etc.
Friends of the Park Club was established spontaneously during the implementation of the Friends of the Golden Sands Park Program. The Club involves everyone who directly or indirectly participated in the project development and implementation: the Ministry of Education s Regional Inspectorate; the Cultural and Historic Heritage Directorate; the Varna Forestry Department; the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development; the Bulgarian Bird Protection Society; the Northern Black Sea Coast Protected Territories Foundation; and the faculty of four primary schools and two high schools.
During the academic 1999, the Golden Sands Park staff had meetings with the faculty of each school. Park experts gave lectures, organized drawing and writing competitions and held courses in the park for the individual classes.
At the end of the academic year, project staff organized a celebration for school students. The games motivated everyone and the Find the tree , Find the herbs and Find the waste and tell what you know about the pollutant competitions nurtured love to nature, curiosity and sportsmanship. The youth were registered in the Friends of the Park Club s registry and got membership books designed by students from the Private High School of Commerce. Each book had the name of its bearer and was not only a unique prize for students efforts but also served to promote the program. The competition winners got T-shirts with the park logo; the logo itself is an original design by Bogdana Georgieva from the Private High School of Commerce awarded first prize in a competition).
On October 9, 1999, the Park s friends from the schools gathered for a final celebration. All project participants got an environmental education brochure, The Nature Around Us , written and published as part of the project. The brochure provides information on the sites administered by the Golden Sands National Park Directorate and on the categories of protected territories. For all those who are interested in improving their environmental culture, the Directorate publishes a monthly newsletter. The local media were involved in project implementation and provided a wide coverage of the activities of Friends of the Park Club.
As a result of the continuous strong interest on behalf of students and teachers, the project evolved into an environmental education program administered by the Golden Sands National Park. The Municipalities of Varna and Aksakovo follow closely the program activities and assist the program team by participating in meetings, providing free facilities for program events, transport, etc.
Results
The Friends of the Golden Sands Park Program has successfully achieved the following results:
The protected natural territories in the Varna region are becoming increasingly popular. The environmental culture and awareness of the participants, the public and the different institutions has improved significantly. This motivates the Varna schools to be more pro-active with regard to environmental protection issues.
A new campaign, Varna Environmental Schools, was initiated.
The campaign is coordinated by the Golden Sands National Park Directorate and is implemented with the support of the Bulgarian Blue Flag Movement. The campaign allows students and teachers together to apply the concepts and ideas of environmental education. It is expected that very soon quite a few of Varna schools will get the Environmental School Green Flag, a prestigious international prize awarded to the most successful schools upon evaluation of initiatives that they have implemented.
The Friends of the Golden Sands Park Program has successfully achieved the following results:
The protected natural territories in the Varna region are becoming increasingly popular. The environmental culture and awareness of the participants, the public and the different institutions has improved significantly. This motivates the Varna schools to be more pro-active with regard to environmental protection issues.
A new campaign, Varna Environmental Schools, was initiated.
The campaign is coordinated by the Golden Sands National Park Directorate and is implemented with the support of the Bulgarian Blue Flag Movement. The campaign allows students and teachers together to apply the concepts and ideas of environmental education. It is expected that very soon quite a few of Varna schools will get the Environmental School Green Flag, a prestigious international prize awarded to the most successful schools upon evaluation of initiatives that they have implemented.
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