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ATP Breathes Life Into Environmental Education in Armenia

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  • ATP Breathes Life Into Environmental Education in Armenia

    Armenia Tree Project
    57/5 Arshakunyats Street
    Yerevan, Armenia 0026
    Tel: (37410) 44-74-01
    Web: www.armeniatree.org

    Armenia Tree Project
    65 Main Street
    Watertown, MA 02472 USA
    Tel: (617) 926-TREE
    Email: [email protected]

    PRESS RELEASE
    May 23, 2006

    ATP Breathes Life Into Environmental Education in Armenia by Organizing
    Training for Teachers and Tree-Planting Guidance for Communities

    YEREVAN--After publishing its environmental education curriculum, `Plant an
    Idea, Plant a Tree,' for public school students, Armenia Tree Project (ATP)
    sponsored a special teacher training course on April 25-29 to explain how to
    use the teacher's manual.

    A total of 16 teachers from Yerevan and the regions of Syunik, Lori, and
    Kotayk participated in the `Training of Trainers,' organized by Dr. Gayane
    Ghukasyan, ATP Environmental Education Program Manager.

    In his welcoming speech, ATP Director of Operations Vache Kirakosyan
    emphasized the importance of teaching the environmental education curriculum
    in local schools, and thanked all attendees for participating with ATP.
    `Your cooperation is very important to increase the awareness of
    environmental issues, specifically among Armenia's youth,' he stated. `As a
    result of our work together, we may reap fruit in the very near future. The
    assistance received from such motivated and devoted educators as yourselves
    is another step toward improving the ecological situation in our country.'

    All lessons were based on the contents of ATP's environmental education
    curriculum, which is available online at
    http://armeniatree.org/whatwedo/eea.htm. The lessons were designed for
    students in grades 4-9 in more than 1,400 schools throughout Armenia.

    The workshop was also attended by Artashes Torosyan and Marine Aghajanyan
    from the Ministry of Education and Science, Amalia Poghosyan from the
    Armenia Social Investment Fund, and ATP supporter Joseph Matossian of
    California.

    The honored guests expressed their appreciation and admiration to the
    teachers and the presenters. Artashes Torosyan expressed his confidence in
    the preparation of the teachers, who will be going on from the workshop to
    conduct similar training for their colleagues.

    Vache Kirakosyan presented `Certificates of Participation' to each of the
    trainees, thanking them for their input and enthusiasm during the workshop.
    Anonymous evaluation sheets revealed that the participants were very pleased
    with the content and process of the training.

    `It would be an honor for me to continue collaborating with the ATP
    Environmental Education Program, as I feel this gives me an overall
    understanding of a new methodology along with practical advice which I will
    definitely apply in my teaching activity,' wrote one teacher in the
    evaluation. Another teacher believed the program should be expanded to the
    governmental level under the slogan `Our Planet Belongs to Us.'

    In addition to the environmental education training course, ATP's Spring
    tree planting campaign was accompanied by trainings organized by the
    Community Tree Planting (CTP) Program at 19 sites all over Armenia. A total
    of 1,334 community residents participated in the ATP trainings.

    To ensure a high survival rate of trees at sites, ATP created guidelines on
    tree planting and care. Prior to planting, CTP staff distributed the
    information to local residents and trained them on topics such as the
    special care different varieties of trees require, proper depth for planting
    new seedlings, how often to irrigate seedlings, and how to monitor the
    growth of the trees.

    According to ATP site monitor Seyran Honhannisyan, `I was astonished to see
    the children so well acquainted with planting techniques. Our training
    allowed the children to get not only theoretical but also practical
    knowledge. While putting seedlings in the soil, they were asking us great
    questions regarding insects, plant diseases, and applicable pesticides, so
    we had an opportunity to educate them even further on tree care.'

    PHOTO CAPTIONS

    1. (EE training.jpg) Armenia Tree Project organized a training course to
    show teachers from Syunik, Lori, Kotayk, and Yerevan how to use its new
    environmental education curriculum

    2. (Kurtan village.jpg) Armenia Tree Project staff organized a training and
    tree planting with the kindergarten class at Kurtan village

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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