Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.32633/eb.11.1.4
The role of practical ecological workshops and local activities on the development of students' ecological awareness
Katarina Medić
orcid.org/0009-0003-0541-0260
; 2nd gymnasium Zagreb
Adriana Ivandić
orcid.org/0009-0002-5692-7799
; 2nd gymnasium Zagreb
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Although environmental topics are present in educational programs, the level of environmental awareness and understanding of human impact on the environment among students is still insufficiently developed. It is precisely from this need that the Erasmus+ project Act eco-locally to change into eco-globally emerged, implemented in the II. gymnasium in Zagreb from September 2023 to August 2025. The project brought together six international partner schools from Poland, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Croatia and Portugal, with the aim of empowering young people to actively participate in environmental protection. Over a two-year period, students participated in numerous practical workshops and local environmental activities focused on recycling, reuse, sustainable development and conservation of natural resources. The paper presents selected activities such as making candles from waste oil, creating eco-crafts, modeling ecosystems, repainting old school chairs, participating in a reforestation campaign and engaging in the national campaign Resolution Earth. Project evaluation, conducted through the analysis of questionnaires (administered before the project, after individual activities, and as a final survey at the end of the project), revealed a significant increase in students’ interest in environmental protection, greater motivation for volunteering, and more active involvement in local environmental initiatives. A higher willingness to adopt sustainable habits in everyday life was also recorded. The results confirm that practical work, experiential learning, and international cooperation have a strong impact on the development of environmental awareness and responsibility among young people. By integrating sustainability-related topics into biology and natural science teaching, students are enabled to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life contexts.
Keywords
environmental awareness; sustainable development; Erasmus+; practical workshops; experiential learning
Hrčak ID:
342988
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2025.
Visits: 483 *