SHIRAK, Armenia – A group of about 20 schoolchildren from Vahramaberd and Haykavan villages in the Shirak Region participated in of one of the winning projects of the Environmental Education Micro Project Competition, initiated by Hrachya Hovhannsiyan.

During the project, schoolchildren participated in two different seminars in each village related to both local and global environmental issues. After each seminar the participants watched movies on different environmental topics followed by discussion. Children prepared wall posters based on an intellectual game held by moderators. In the end of the project an excursion was organized. The itinerary of the excursion was arranged so that the participants could see, in practice, all the environmental issues discussed during the project.

During the excursion, schoolchildren had the opportunity to see: the eutrophication of Jajur reservoir; some parts of Gymri-Vanadzor road, which have been degraded by anthropogenic influences; huge piles of construction waste; secondary forests on the Jajur pass; the open mine next to Vanadzor and its negative impact on the landscape and environment; and the arboretum in Stepanavan among others.

The project was one of the 10 winners of the Environmental Education Micro Project Competition. The winning projects represent the best from a pool of 130 applications from across the country. The competition was administered by the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment. A selection team, comprising EEN members, reviewed and made the final decisions on the competition’s winners.

The competition is financially supported by the Norwegian Embassy Small Grant Program. The aim of the Norwegian grant is to develop environmental education capacities in Armenia, including the establishment and strengthening of the Environmental Education Network (EEN), a learning partnership between civil society, educational institutions, government, and international organizations.

The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment (AUA ACE), a research center at the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. AUA ACE’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, greening the built environment, clean energy, and energy efficiency, as well as information technology and the environment.

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