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Polish Green Game Pro
Pro-environmental behavior development for school-age children
Project
Climate change and environmental degradation are seen as a big threat in Europe. While goverment policies and actions aim to raise awareness about sustainable development and promote healthy lifestyles, just raising awareness is not enough. Even though Europeans acknowledge the seriousness of climate change, they don’t always take action to change their habits. This can negatively impact children, whose environmental attitudes form at a young age. GreenGame aims to support children in developing pro-environmental behaviors and a sustainable lifestyle, through creative activities and teaching approaches. We work to effectively contribute in educating about sustainable development.
OBJECTIVES
GreenGame will develop targeted interventions to promote pro-environmental behaviour in school children (10-14 year), mainly based on the processes of self-regulation and self-control, and facilitated by new technologies. The aim is to support children to engage in pro–environmental behaviours and to achieve an environmentally friendly way of living, by establishing an enhanced degree of motivation, willingness, autonomy and commitment and to assist teachers in stimulating pro-environmental behaviour to their students.
The project intends to develop:
- Psycho-education program on development of pro-environmental behaviour based on mindfulness and awareness raising interventions, material and activities, enhanced by advanced ICT technologies and
- A pro-environmental behaviour innovative game which will include empowerment and motivation enhancing interventions for habit formation and change, focusing on linking individual behaviour change with overall social benefit.
Impact
The project will have a significant impact on participants, teachers, participating organizations, target groups, and stakeholders. Participants will develop pro-environmental behavior, advance their knowledge on climate action, and cultivate their motivation and commitment to pro-environmental behavior while exercising their digital skills. Teachers will increase their pro-environmental behavior, digital skills, and acquire knowledge on participatory and goal-based teaching methods and tools. Participating organizations will increase their networks of local and regional cooperation, enhance their staff experience, and improve the quality of their services. Target groups will have increased environmental awareness, confidence, motivation, and pro-environmental attitude and behavior while exercising their digital skills. Stakeholders will consider implementing the project’s intellectual outcomes in their training programs and improve their participation in learning by strengthening the competences of trainers.
Target Groups
The target audience are teachers and students aged 10-14. Other stakeholders, school counsellors, school managers and parents, are also a strategic channel for dissemination, since they are all responsible for children social development. Inside the partnership involved will be staff, who will be detailed on the project to better facilitate dissemination on behalf of their organizations.
Outside the partnership, several institutions linked with the target groups will be reached, to fulfil the specific priorities in children skills development and enhancement of pro-environmental behaviour. The partnership will closely cooperate with schools, teachers, youth centres and other education providers. At local and regional level, project activities will be addressed to education institutions (public and private schools), children entertainment centres, but also private companies and NGOs who are working with children or training teachers and who are interested in assisting their clients in stimulating environmentally friendly behaviour. The partnership will also approach social centres and institutions contributing to raising awareness on environmental issues.
Results
R1: GreenGame Psychoeducation program on development of proenvironmental behaviour
The psychoeducation program for the GreenGame educational program will use mindfulness and awareness-raising interventions, enhanced by advanced ICT technologies. The program includes pro-environmental actions, best practices, training materials, and an asynchronous webinar(content) for teachers. The consortium will conduct desk research and focus groups to gather knowledge on stimulating sustainable behavior in seven thematic areas: I. recycling, II. conserving water, III. saving electricity, IV. reusing, V. using public transportations or bikes, VI. properly disposing of non-recyclable waste, VII. buying and/or consuming green products. The program works to develop interactive activities on mindfulness, awareness raising, and empowerment based on the research. We aims to increase environmental awareness in children, which can lead to positive habits at home and in the community. The content will be distributed to schools and youth centers for broad access, and the training material and tutor video can be translated into any language, making the OERs highly transferable beyond the project’s target groups and lifetime.
R2: GreenGame: Pro-environmental behaviour innovative game
A new interactive online game will be created for GreenGame, enhanced with mindfulness and awareness-raising techniques, motivating students and creating a positive reinforcement for habit formation. The game will feature a hero/student on a mission to save the environment by focusing on recycling, conserving water, saving electricity, reusing, using public transportation, properly disposing of non-recyclable waste, and buying green products, as well as setting and following personal goals. It will be designed using Adobe Animate, ActionScript, HTML5, PHP, MySQL, and some JavaScript and CSS. The game will be available to play online with other players.
R3: GreenGame handbook for children and GreenGame companion for teachers
Output-03 is producing a GreenGame companion for teachers and a handbook for pupils. Both products will be tested together with the Game and become part of game application. A. GreenGame-Teachers´ Companion: The aim is to provide teachers with guidance how to introduce students to the game, how to assist them during gaming, as well as how to provide space for pupils´ self-reflection after it. It will contain several scenarios of tasks the facilitator can give to pupils, instructions of pilot phase, and facilitators´ feedback questionnaire as well. The digital companion will be a compilation of texts, images, video, songs-sounds e.t.c.
The handbook for students will be short and prepared in very user friendly way so pupils aged 10-14 can understand why to play and be motivated to start playing. The digital handbook and companion after getting their final form, will be translated to all partners’ languages and tested together with the Game with at least 25 teachers (5-7/country) and 125 students (25 students/country), so as to ensure its practicality and usefulness.
Project Partners
Creative Ideas is a Latvian NGO that specializes in informal education and cultural development. Creative Ideas offers training and creative workshops for various target groups and aims to promote community development and international recognition. With over 40 members, They have implemented over 20 projects in cooperation with partners from around the world. They are members of national umbrella organizations and have initiated the establishment of an NGO coalition in Balvi municipality.
The União das Freguesias de Gondomar (S. Cosme), Valbom e Jovim (UFGVJ) is a public entity in the Municipality of Gondomar, Portugal with a population of around 50,000. The institution has various competencies established by the government, including projects related to entrepreneurship, employment, training, and social inclusion. The UFGVJ has 70 staff members and provides activities for senior adult learners, unemployed adults, and youngsters in various fields such as sports, guidance, and counseling. The region is known for its filigree work in gold, and Gondomar is referred to as the “Capital of Gold.”
The University of Humanities and Economics in Lodz (AHE) is a private higher education institution in Poland, offering BA, MA, MSc, PHD programmes, postgraduate studies, and courses for various target groups. AHE has 20 degree programs, some of which are taught in English, and is constantly updating its curricula according to labor market demands. The university is the 5th most popular non-public university in Poland and has around 200 permanent employees, including researchers, teachers, trainers, and supporting staff. AHE focuses on creativity, innovative teaching methodologies, and e-learning, with extensive experience in e-learning through its Polish Virtual University platform. AHE’s mission is to teach creativity through a project-based learning method and creativity workshops, and it has its own technological incubator where students can set up their own businesses. AHE is an international university, participating in student and staff exchange programs, inviting professors from abroad, and receiving international students. AHE is also experienced in research and analysis, curriculum design, and EU project management.
DEP Institut is a company that specializes in social research, marketing, strategy consulting, and educational and career guidance, with over 15 years of experience in education, training, and the world of work. They have completed more than 100 research and consultancy projects related to lifelong learning, skills development, and career guidance. They have a dedicated area of Career Guidance and Educational Projects that works with municipalities, schools, and students of different levels, providing guidance services and resources. DEP Institut has 13 staff members with expertise in Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Psychopedagogy, Pedagogy, and IT.
INSTITOUTO EREVNAS KAI THERAPIAS TIS SIMPERIFORAS, IBRT - Greece
The Institute of Behaviour Research and Therapy is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 by members of the Hellenic Society for Behavioural Research (EES). ΙΒRΤ possesses a long tradition in education and implementation of innovative interventions in the field of mental health, behavioural change and wellbeing. Its main scientific domain specializes in cognitive behavioural model of therapy. Among its main activities are: • training for mental health professionals, • therapy for the general public (face to face, online, groups), • publications and self-help material for psychological difficulties, • interventions for the public health, such as smoke cessation and prevention, eating disorders in youth and drug addictions, • research. Among the main topics addressed by psychological research and services that IBRT conduct are: behaviour change, barriers to action, risk perceptions, models of decision making, motivation for action, and processes of adaptation, which are all very essential for promoting sustainable development. ΙΒRΤ employs 3 permanent staff and has at disposal a great pool of over 110 external experts in psychology, counseling and training. These staff members help the organisation engage every year with over 200 psychologists and teachers in training courses, deliver around 9.000 therapy sessions per year and work with over 400 young people and adults via their programs towards improvement of wellbeing and behaviour change. IBRT employs in its operations the Total Quality approach and evaluates internally the projects it is involved in using 360° methodology.
The Arsakeio of Patra is a long-standing educational institution in Greece, founded in 1891, which continues to actively contribute to Greek education. It is a modern school built according to the requirements of the 21st century and has been voted the best school in West Greece for two consecutive years. The school has about 100 students and 27 teachers, who teach all subjects and use technology such as Google Classroom and e-platforms to enhance learning. Additionally, there are programs in environmental, cultural, career, and Formula 1 education, and a separate Centre of Science building that is used by teachers in the region.
Contact
info@greengamepro.eu
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