Motivating youth for nature protection

The Würm Rangers (Würm is a river in Germany) are the Children, Youth and Adults who are dedicated to take care of the Würm, a river in Munich. Through direct experiences with nature, the children are sensitized and the children are directly involved in the activities.The activities to protect the river include - monitoring the water qualtiy (based on species that live there), - keeping invasive species from taking over the area, - creating insect oases to improve the populations, - clean up litter, - offering schools and kindergardens opportunities to explore nature, - create events to learn more about the region and nature etc.

Costs: €€ (costs could include staff, materials and tools, communication)

Scientific and technical education for kids

Children are taken for a week to nature where the learning is done through innate learning motivation of Children. The basic concept of the program is to allow Children to pursure their own questions, encountering surrounding nature and environment exploringly and on own accord - to figure out the secrets and natural phenomens. The goal is to move away from rigid arrangements and expectations to independent discovery and learning. During the Nature Science Week, the Children are brought to a location that is close to nature (a farm, tree nursery, forest, countryside etc), where the first 2 days are dedicated to getting a brief overview of each of the activities and the last 3 days to be immersed to one area. The students fill daily out a diary (what was done? What was especially important for you? What questions do you already have? Suggestion to draw a picture, compose a poem are song etc. In the closing circle these questions are shared and that leads to the students answering: how does it continue for you?) and their projects are presented on the last day. One of the core learning idea is the reversed learning mechanism: not to have a knowledge first and then apply/find it in nature, but to observe/do something in nature and then find out why is it so.

Costs: €-€€ (learning materials)

Support open pollination

More than 80% of crops and flowering plants in Europe depend directly on bees for their pollination. Without bees, we risk losing significantly fruit and vegetables grown in Europe. Keeping bees in urban areas such as on rooftops or in community gardens promotes open pollination by increasing the number of bees in cities. The practice has become increasingly popular in recent years as people have become more interestes in sustainable living. Many urban bee keepers also harvest honey from their hives which can be sold or used for private consumption. Urban beekeping can additionally be a great way to educate people about the importance of bees and the role they play in our food systems and environment. 

Costs: €€

Reforestation and promotion of biodiversity

Reforestation as the process of planting trees in an area where forest once existed but was removed or destroyed. Reforestation helps to restore the ecological balance, enhance local biodiversity and addresses climate change as trees are an important carbon sink. Moreover, reforestation helps to regulate the local water cycle and prevents from erosion. A common reforestation event is a highly practical activity which brings the participants in direct contact with nature while making a positive environmental impact in the community.

Costs: € - €€ (tree donation starts from 0,35 €, starting own campaign would be considerably more)