RCE Saskatchewan-2014
Duration of project:
Friday, January 31, 2014
1. Describe coordination and management of the project. Please also reflect how the RCE as a network organisation has contributed to the project. (Character count 400 words):
Ongoing and regular meetings are held with its partner, RCE Saskatchewan with Mr. Garringer and Mr. Kauf serving as co-coordinators of the RCEs Theme Areas Working Group on K-12 ESD. Resources and valuable insights has been provided during these meetings with connections between current projects being made. Projects from the K-12 website have also been recognized at the RCE Saskatchewan 2014 ESD Recognition Event.
2. What are the current results of the project in terms of output (e.g. publications, developed practices, course materials)? (Character count 300 words):
Rceed.ca challenges the status quo and inspires K-12 ESD education in our province. We want our students, teachers, and administrators to believe in ESD and put into action sustainability efforts into each of their practices. Our website acts as an interactive foundation where people can access our stories, resources, and plans to inspire sustainability education efforts for our community of users that is continually expanding. We are also empowering leadership amongst elementary and secondary students who have been the driving force behind growing our efforts. The following is an example of a Saskatchewan success story being profiled by the website.
The Regina Catholic School Division’s Oil Recycling Project started in 2010 to encourage students to protect the environment. This originated as an effort to identify a need to protect our local fresh drinking water supply. Students made a plan to organize a day for members of the public to drop off used oil products by hosting an Oil Recycling Day at the school. To date the project has recycled nearly 3,500 litres of used oil products.
Connections made between classrooms seeking partnerships will continue to grow exponentially from the documentation of this type of projects and more.
The Regina Catholic School Division’s Oil Recycling Project started in 2010 to encourage students to protect the environment. This originated as an effort to identify a need to protect our local fresh drinking water supply. Students made a plan to organize a day for members of the public to drop off used oil products by hosting an Oil Recycling Day at the school. To date the project has recycled nearly 3,500 litres of used oil products.
Connections made between classrooms seeking partnerships will continue to grow exponentially from the documentation of this type of projects and more.
3. What are the expected/confirmed outcomes (e.g. impact of the project, such as changed practices, improved capacity, institutional changes, etc.)? Please provide evidence where applicable. (Character count 400 words):
Prior to the rceed.ca website that was completed and opened to the public on April 30, 2014, there was limited knowledge of what sustainability was and how it could be incorporated into classrooms. Students and teachers would be able to individually work on class projects with little to no collaboration or focus on sustainability. Our site is enabling students and teachers to make education more meaningful, providing innovation that didn’t exist previous, and providing a foundation for future sustainable efforts to occur while honouring previous efforts in our province. We creatively have incorporated the presence of Twitter into our website that is helping us connect with other colleagues in this area.
Are there any unexpected/ unplanned results achieved by your project? If yes, briefly describe or list them. (Character count 200 words):
Yes, the passion students and their mentors in this province have towards educating and leading projects in this area.
4. What are the remaining challenges and/ or limitations for further development? (Character count 300 words):
We are volunteer based at the moment. Our largest challenge is finding the time to manage this project effectively while it grows.
What is the project’s contribution to innovative and transformative educational processes for sustainable development (especially regarding formal/ non-formal learning/ research)? (Character count 500 words):
The project provides important baseline data of ESD projects in formal K-12 education in the province that can then be tried and adapted by other teachers in the classroom as well as studied by the provinces two Faculties of Education.
How can you scale up and mainstream ESD and SD practices of the project and enable it to contribute to the implementation of the Global Action Programme (GAP) as proposed by UNESCO? (Character count 300 words) :
The project specifically focuses on goal #3 (to strengthen the capacity of educators to become learning facilitators for ESD) as well as on goal #4 (to support youth in their role as change agents for SD). Many of the formal school projects documented on the website are also taking place in local communities, supporting goal #5.
How does you project contribute institutional and policy reforms as part of sustainability change? (Character count 500 words):
School ESD projects that are documented can be used will help in advancing ESD as it is incorporated into changes into the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education's K-12 curriculum.
5. How does your project further improve capacities of various partners and stakeholders on the theme? (Character count 500 words):
The project allows for both important project identification and documentation as well as on-line collaboration in relation to specific K-12 ESD projects.
6. How does your project link to the SDGs or other global frameworks (e.g. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030)? (Character count 300 words):
The website is not restricted to K-12 ESD projects in Saskatchewan and other RCEs are welcome to document their projects on this site. The virtual nature of the site makes it readily available globally.
What is novel about the project within the RCE network and what could other RCEs learn from this experience? (Answer only if relevant) (Character count 250 words):
The website provides a dedicated space for K-12 ESD projects within the RCE Saskatchewan region. Other RCEs can learn from the design of the site as well as from the specific projects documented on the site.
What is the significance of this project for the region? How important are its results for its particular project category? (Character count 250 words):
The project provides an important vehicle for identifying ESD projects from schools that encompasses a range of geographic school divisions in the project as well as both the public and separate school boards.
