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Learning and education are central to Envolve's existence and all aspects of our work. It is our response to some of the urgent issues facing our planet - climate change, global poverty, the challenge of living sustainably and shaping a better future.
"Envolve facilitates imaginative learning that enables people to make the connections between individual, local action and the creation of a world based on social justice and care for the environment."
We are currently developing a new education strategy, drawing on the experience of recent successful projects, on our strong links with partner organisations and on our own unique mix of business and education skills. We are also looking forward to maximising the impact of existing projects such as 'Our Farms, Our Futures', Food for Life and B&NES Global Education Network, which we coordinate.
In particular, we are looking to strengthen our support for teachers and our involvement in schools in Bath and North East Somerset and across the region. The programme will have a number of key features:
- It will focus on learning - creating opportunities for schools, teachers and pupils to develop ideas, understanding, skills and values within a framework that encompasses the question "what does sustainable development mean for us - and how do we move towards that goal?"
- We will work to help schools establish policies and practice that impact at all levels - using techniques such as sustainability and global citizenship audits, curriculum guidance, teaching and learning resources and student projects. We recognise that schools are under enormous pressure and we want them to see us as an organisation that can help them to achieve success.
- We will create and offer 'learning packages' that link into Envolve's areas of expertise . These will probably focus on topics such as food and farming, healthy living, transport, climate change and global citizenship. Some of these will have income generating potential. We plan to showcase examples of good practice but (aware of the limitations of our capacity) we will also act as a signpost to other sources of information and advice.
- Green Park Station is a wonderful home that we hope will become a place of inspiration and information - we will be gathering ideas for the best ways of doing this.
- We are committed to working in partnership with other organizations. We are exploring exciting possibilities for increasing the impact of our work in this way. We hope that this approach will also open up new funding sources.
- Evaluating outcomes will be an integral element of our programme development. We have lots to learn too.
Running alongside these new initiatives are our existing projects:
- Our central role in B&NES's Global Education Network has strengthened this dimension of our education for sustainability. Through input in schools, a range of hands-on resources and events such as our high-profile 'Global Fair' we can provide valuable methods of illustrating the interdependence of people and issues across the planet.
- Our latest project, 'Our Farms, Our Futures', funded for two years by the Department for International Development, also gives Bath children the chance to make links with local farms and (through Send a Cow) those in Africa.
It is an exciting time. There's much to do over the coming years. We are learning to participate in building healthy, diverse, sustainable, communities across the world. The process has the potential to enrich our lives, to connect us to the natural environment, and for us all to celebrate our role in shaping the future. Education is at the heart of this challenge. |
