Explorer - discover your urban surroundings with care for nature and people
The long-term objective of Explorer is to foster community building and promote individuals’ connection with the surrounding biodiversity, by increasing civic engagement and improving relationships between children, young adults and older generations. It unites individuals with a shared passion for nature and community through hands-on, interactive activities, such as nature explorations and practical initiatives that use biodiversity, science and sustainable consumption as means to these ends.
Regional
Romania
Bucharest and Campulung Muscel, Arges county
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Asociatia Culturalis Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Cristina Last name of representative: Simionescu Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: intrarea Visinilor no. 5, district 2 Town: Bucharest Postal code: 024093 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 722 689 981 E-mail:asociatia.culturalis@gmail.com Website:http://culturalis.ro
Project Explorer provides an innovative educational model that aims to instill a more mindful and aware perspective on urban life. Our belief is that this model, which combines education and active citizenship, can be easily replicated by any community. To date, the model has been implemented in two communities, one in Bucharest's District 3 and one in Câmpulung city in Argeș county, both of which are in need of better environmental education and have low levels of civic engagement and sustainable initiatives. Our organization's purpose is to bring people together through programs that cater to all age groups and encompass education, the environment, and community culture. These themes are central to all our projects, particularly in Explorer, where we targeted two communities (in Bucharest and Campulung Muscel) in 2021 and 2022 with the goal of raising the environmental awareness of 80 children and parents and 20 high school students. During urban explorations and interactive educational workshops, we utilized local biodiversity, responsible consumption and a healthy lifestyle as tools to inspire practical activities and encourage participants to become agents of change in their communities. Guided by trainers and mentors, they were empowered to find solutions to problems they identified during the workshops, such as improving their local landscapes, advocating for change with local authorities and educating children in their communities. As a result of taking part in the program, participants managed to create 3 community projects at their own residence buildings (that concerned improving the local gardens and bringing neighbors together), 7 practical workshops for children, wrote to local authorities on different topics of interest and contributed to educational materials, therefore sharing the knowledge and experience they gathered through Explorer.
Reconnecting
Nature
Biodiversity
Inclusion
Initiative
In both communities we conducted activities aimed at improving the relationship between people, nature, and the environment. Our main objectives in terms of sustainability were to:
- raise awareness of the importance of urban biodiversity and responsible consumption through practical workshops, urban explorations, and community involvement, among people of different age groups (children, young people, adults).
- improve at least 3 community spaces, with the involvement of participants and local residents. Through our 8 workshops in Bucharest, we engaged 80 participants (children and parents) in learning about urban nature and environmental topics such as biodiversity, composting, recycling, and pollution. Participants were inspired to organize 3 educational projects in their own community of residence and 2 educational activities on sustainable living.
In Campulung, 20 high school students were taught about local biodiversity through 2 nature explorations and about responsible consumption through 2 practical workshops and mentoring. They then held 5 workshops for primary school children, increasing awareness of local biodiversity for 8 teachers and 80 school children.
Overall, this project has shown the positive impact of bringing together people, nature, and the living spaces, for a more sustainable future.
All the activities were organized respecting the concepts of zero waste and plastic free, the materials being used as efficiently as possible, including elements from nature. Food was bought from local stores that sold bulk products and we informed participants about local sustainable practices and entrepreneurial initiatives they could use as examples or support.
Our goal was to create a scalable project focused on strong partnerships with the community, fostering communication and cooperation between participants (students, children from 6 to 12 and parents/caregivers) who learned that age is no barrier when they have shared focus and interests. They worked in teams, improved their relationships and had new types of dialogues, around concepts of local biodiversity, friendly city for its inhabitants, sustainability, expressing how useful it was to discover new parts of themselves.
The natural areas of Titan Park in Bucharest (one with a cultural and historical background and a community that developed around it) and Câmpulung, a small city rich in biodiversity, among the outlying hills of the Carpathian mountains, served as the central point of interest for us. Our aim was to increase civic awareness by inspiring participants to improve their surroundings and community life through common initiatives like greening the neighborhood and composting. Three participants took the initiative to start their own community gardens, involving neighbors and other 2 participants felt empowered and created Roots - Urban Gardens project with us, transforming their community spaces into thriving urban gardens with composting stations. We organized a photo exhibition in Titan Park featuring participants' photos of "Sustainable Life in My Neighborhood., designed a guide of sustainable and nature-related activities for children, with input from the 20 high school students. Our focus on the relationship with young participants led to new levels of teamwork, where they felt heard and valued for their contributions. Through hands-on activities (ex. creating land art with rocks and leaves), they learned about science and the environment while exploring their creative side. The project brought a unique combination of education, art, and nature to the community, enriching the quality of life and creating positive experiences for everyone involved.
Our project aimed to forge a strong alliance with the community to enhance its educational, cultural, and ecological future. By implementing proactive initiatives, we aim to revitalize the way the urban environment is perceived and create a green, educational hub for a healthy and sustainable community. Here, individuals of various ages and backgrounds come together to collaborate and shape their future.
Explorer is a powerful catalyst for social unity and community engagement. The impact of our program is evident through the multitude of initiatives taken on by our participants, who have come together to make a positive impact in their communities. With the courage to act, they made their voices heard through 3 successful requests to local authorities, calling for improvements in environmental issues such as better waste management, preservation of green spaces, and responsible gardening practices.The passion for change was palpable as participants collaborated to transform their urban surroundings through the creation of 3 community gardens and implementation of 7 educational workshops for children. These projects brought people of all ages together for a common cause, forging relationships and promoting a sense of community.
Our 12 educational workshops were a resounding success, providing free learning opportunities for children of all ages, from kindergarten to primary school. They also served as a platform for discussion and collaboration, as participants came together to learn about the world around them and how they could make a difference. The workshops were designed to promote inclusiveness and diversity, as we reached out to schools that cater to special needs children. Our efforts to promote intergenerational exchange, from children and parents to students and teachers, resulted in a unique learning environment that was both empowering and enriching.
One objective was to increase civic awareness by encouraging people to identify neighborhood problems, offering support in approaching public authorities and making improvement proposals regarding the quality of life in their area. The transformation that took place through our program was not just about the environment, but about the people involved, who developed an increased sense of social awareness and became more conscious of their role in shaping the world around them. They grew stronger together and recognized that taking care of the environment is equivalent to taking care of each other, and that their actions and behavior can have a ripple effect on the well-being of their communities.
Our workshops were the first of their kind in both communities, addressing sustainability in a practical manner and empowering people to become more involved, connected to the nature around them and notice the needs in the community. Based on the workshop structure, with the team of trainers we designed a practical guide to help participants implement their projects and we supported them with our expertise and mentorship.
Participants realized they can have a more responsible behavior towards the environment in the urban area, create more beauty in the community space and approach public authorities by making proposals to improve the quality of life. Three of the participants implemented their project ideas with financial support from the project’s budget and 22 of them, from both areas, organized educational activities (in schools, kindergartens and residence buildings). We noticed that the students have a desire to get involved and we propose that in the future we also focus on encouraging them to take the organizing role. For them, the project was an unique opportunity to make their voice heard, get out of their comfort zone and be creative, and, as one of them stated: “I started to actually notice the world around me, more than just hurrying to get home or to school”.
Explorer, in the two communities, was made possible through the support of the Bucharest Communitary Foundation and a close collaboration with the Sustainable Development Department of the City Hall in District 3 and with the support of the French Institute and French Embassy in Romania. For the specialized knowledge workshops we also teamed up with local organizations such as the Zero Waste Shop, Tineretului Community Initiative, Milvus Foundation and CeRe Association (national and regional NGOs) to offer a wider range of sustainable solutions to our community. In the city of Campulung, we were fortunate to work with the National Pedagogical High School Carol I, who played a vital role in supporting the project from start to finish, including participant selection, organization, community outreach, and school involvement. The project was even presented at the local Pedagogical Circle, where participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and insights with teachers from around the city. These key partners provided valuable advice and support to participants as they brought their own initiatives to life. Our goal is to continue this collaboration and co-create with these stakeholders and participants, fostering new activities and initiatives that will positively impact the entire community. We have designed the project to be easily scalable, with a defined methodology that enables interested participants to become trainers themselves, multiplying the impact and expanding the project's reach at a regional and national level.
Thus, some of our next important steps are to:
- hand over the reins to our participants, so they can become multipliers of the programs’ aim and have a deeper sense of responsibility
- create more or more focused partnerships in our two communities in order to make sure we have a stronger community.
The workshops were designed to be impactful and relevant to daily life and included:
1.Biodiversity - 4 workshops and explorations held with the help of biology experts and nature educators, where participants explored the local flora and fauna in Titan Park and Campulung area and learned about nature elements.
2.Composting - 2 workshops where participants learned about separating and creating their own compost space at home with the guidance of a specialist.
3. Responsible consumption - 3 interactive workshops led by a trainer and a local entrepreneur who runs the first Zero Waste Shop in Bucharest. The sessions tackled issues such as consumer behavior, responsibility, social aspect of consumerism/product creation, zero waste approach, practical tips, and how to engage children.
4.Ornithology - 2 explorations with ornithologists from Milvus Group and SOR offered insights on watching, feeding, and protecting birds.
5.Civic involvement - with CeRe NGO. Participants analyzed different aspects of the park (such as green spaces and playgrounds) and found ways to improve the community and address local authorities. The activity was a combination of a treasure hunt and discussion, ensuring that all voices, of all ages, were heard.
The trainers worked together to create the final version of a practical guide, which was used for support in implementing the participants’ own projects, but also for the workshops in Campulung. The other guide - for biodiversity activities, was co created with the team of high school students in Campulung, as the they are studying pedagogy and the workshops were designed to challenge them to apply their knowledge in a non-formal setting. Explorer combined science, art, and essential life skills like teamwork, observation, and construction.
The project's innovative structure allows for replicability and scalability, fostering systemic change through a "pay it forward" model. Participants in the project can become agents of change in their communities by promoting the integration of nature and biodiversity in the process of urban evolution. We are committed to supporting small communities in growing sustainably through empowering residents and fostering grassroots activities.The program helps individuals develop a deeper connection with nature and understand the significance of green spaces and urban diversity. An interdisciplinary approach allows for exploration and discovery of the natural world, fostering collaboration and learning through non-formal structures. Our goal is to create a supportive environment for people of all ages to put their newfound knowledge into practice in their communities, and to emphasize the importance of a strong, cohesive community.
In both communities, the activities were the first of their kind, not because of the addressed topics, but due to the structure and the implementation. Concretely, we had workshops and explorations as context to interact with participants and present the topics. But above that, is it the sense of community that we created and constant care to guide them and support their ideas and making sure they listened to each other, no matter the age (children were extremely creative and on point with their suggestions) that ensured the success of the program so far. Also, offering the possibility for them to implement their ideas and to help them leave their comfort zone and take initiative, as part of the bigger aim of Explorer was a fundamental element that led people who were at their first civic experience to actually engage with public authorities, neighbors, colleagues and children and change things around them. We applaud their courage and are glad to be able to continue to contribute along with them to making these communities more sustainable.
The Explorer project is designed to be easily replicated and scaled to reach more communities, as it is our ultimate goal. Using the established methodology and training guide, anyone can become a trainer in the program and bring it to new areas. We plan to collaborate with teachers, local NGOs, and other stakeholders to bring the project to high schools and other communities in Romania. Our goal is to have a network of trainers that can reach 10,000 participants within 5 years.
So far, the project has inspired participants to take action in their own communities, changing their consumption habits and even starting their own initiatives, such as urban gardens with compost stations. These gardens not only serve as a source of fresh produce but also as a source of community pride and engagement. We also prioritize the involvement of high school students, who are a valuable resource in small communities and have the potential to become active citizens and advocate for the environment. The activities aim to help students understand the natural environment, adopt sustainable habits, and develop experiential learning and community engagement skills. By transferring this knowledge to younger children, they can reinforce their own understanding and help to create positive change in their school and community.
We will continue to improve the guides (both the practical guide that contains different topics and the children activity guide), to meet the needs we identify as time passes and create materials and structures that would be useful for both our former participants and the new ones.
Explorer is a program that helps you see the beauty of a community and therefore, gives strength to its members. As a branch of the program, we also plan to create a mobile lab that can help us reach rural communities, with fewer possibilities.
We used teamwork and project based learning, non formal educational tools - games, treasure hunt, role playing, presentations, discussions, intergenerational collaboration, art elements, nature explorations.
The project involved several stages:
Preparation stage, where we handled team organization, communication strategy, preparing work documents, signing partnership agreements, creating the team of trainers and designing the workshops to meet the aim of the project and adapted them to the addressed community.
Implementation stage:
We worked with specialized trainers, who were ready to offer support any time during the project and contributed to the guide for the participants. Participants were informed that they can do personal projects they think would improve the community and, workshop by workshop, they started to get involved. We reached topics such as compost, consumption behavior, local biodiversity, civic involvement,and how to practically teach children about nature. At the end of the workshops, we organized an exhibition with the photos taken by the participants and helped with the implementation of the 3 local projects in the residence buildings, 7 non formal educational workshops/nature explorations in schools and kindergartens and supported advocacy initiatives. The high school pedagogy students were co-authors for the biodiversity and responsible consumption activity guide for children, as a way to encourage them to put their knowledge into practice.
The feedback stage contained special sessions that helped us understand the participants' needs and where to put our focus in the future and what we can further create together.
The project’s approach is focused on developing ecological conscience and civic involvement, in the context in which we thrive as a society to implement and inform on SGD of 2030. The world is facing significant challenges, and Explorer represents more than workshops related on specific topics, it is a context that brings people from the same community together, for a common purpose. The project as a whole addresses the effects and causes of climate change, inequality (also addressed when we focus on responsible consumption), as they affect people from all around the world and need to be worked on in every community.
Explorer is focused on the SDGs of Good health and well-being, Quality education, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action, Partnerships for the goals.
The project has 3 main directions:
1. Integrating the notions of local biodiversity and responsible consumption, approached practically, as much as possible in the natural environment - to emphasize their importance, but also to support the creation of life skills. Time spent in nature contributes to well-being, and in order to understand the importance of local biodiversity, it is important to know it firsthand, through their eyes and experience, to understand the connections between them and the environment and the impact that their actions have on the environment , as well as the interdependence between the well-being of people and that of nature.
2. In each workshop, participants of different ages will be stimulated to use critical thinking to identify how the city can become more friendly to its inhabitants, but also more attentive to their impact on nature and to apply solutions and take initiative.
3. Offer a context for the transfer of knowledge and experiences between generations, but also a form of direct involvement in the community.
So far, we had 100 direct participants (children, high school students, adults) and reached around 400 people (primary school, kindergarten children, teacher, neighbors of participants) involved in activities created by participants.
Main quantitative results: 12 interactive workshops; 3 projects implemented by participants; requests to authorities, 1 guide of recommendations for responsible living, 1 guide of activities created with the high school participants, 7 workshops implemented by participants for children. We had media coverage, both on social media and local newspapers and TV
The most important results are the participants' continuous involvement, creating projects together with us (2 urban gardens in district 3- ROOTS Urban Gardens and nature education workshops in Campulung, where students are planning to use their knowledge in a local school). People’s perspective on community living changed as they feel more responsible and ready to take action. For students, the nature explorations were especially eye opening and they learned how to practically use the theories and be creative.
We will continue to work with people from the 2 communities, expand the project, involve more stakeholders (schools, NGOs, institutions etc) and create a STEM education branch for children and parents with the aim to make them more aware of our interdependence with nature by stimulating critical thinking, creativity and developing a sense of community (one-day explorations in nature, which offer quality parent-child time, scientific education camps, a community of trainers, access to resources). For 2023-2024: reach 100 people for one-day explorations, in 2 locations (Bucharest and Campulung), organize at least 2 camps with 50 children and parents. In 5 years: a community of trainers that can reach 10000 participants, a mobile science lab to reach rural communities and a strong curriculum, through partnerships with professional organizations and educational institutions.
The project’s approach is focused on developing ecological conscience and civic involvement, in the context in which we thrive as a society to implement and inform on SGD of 2030. We developed a project to address (for now) 2 communities, with high environmental education needs, poorly addressed and with low civic involvement. The themes were addressed through environmental education adapted to everyday life and we focused on turning them into a dialogue and interaction context between parents, children, and different age groups. Explorer encourages people to take action, no matter their status or age and supports the integration of non formal and experiential activities in schools, high school and kindergartens. The materials we created were transmitted to participants, teachers, students and are available online.
We collaborated with experts and specialists in the areas we approached, so we can offer quality experiences for people who joined the program. We could see improvements in the teaching methods of high school students from the pedagogical college and supported them to be investigative, creative and our model proved useful for them and their teachers.
By combining science, art and soft skills training, we created participative and interdisciplinary workshops that connected dots between theory and practice.
By creating partnerships and empowering people to take action in their community, Explorer contributed to a more sustainable model of community and showed participants hands-on ways to improve their lifestyle and gain useful competences for living more sustainably.
