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ECHO to partner with Education Ministry to encourage environmental protection

Nov 18, 2010 News

In the quest to promote environmental preservation and protection, the Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) has plans to partner with the Ministry of Education. This move comes as part of the unwavering efforts of the organisation to include children in the efforts to protect the earth.
This notion was emphasised on Saturday, last, by ECHO’s National Coordinator, Georgina Lewis, when ECHO held a seminar for club members at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.
“No amount of words could explain what we have attempted to do as we try to preserve the earth,” said Lewis, when she addressed a gathering of mainly primary school children.
The forum was intended to encourage the children who were in attendance to remain environmentally alert and helpful to the natural environment.  As part of the promotion of environmental efforts, in 2007, ECHO had launched nine clubs, of which six were in Georgetown and three in Region Three, Lewis revealed.
However, the number quickly grew, as other schools registered their interest in joining.
“As a result, we now have a large number of other schools that are presently involved…”
The ECHO clubs, she said, have embarked on a number of activities which vary from educational tours to tree-planting exercises, anti-littering campaigns, essay competitions and leadership training, among other activities.
While each school’s ECHO club may have had a minimum of 25 pupils, there has been overwhelming support from other pupils as well, teachers and parents of the schools. According to Lewis, the clubs are recognised not only because of the work they do, but also because of the enthusiasm and commitment of the pupil and the teachers involved.
“We have already trained a group…We think we are now ready to take ECHO to another level,” Lewis asserted.
There are plans to introduce sports and music in clubs which can play a part in helping to protect the environment. In addition, there is the intent to launch 25 new clubs shortly throughout Region 10.
And though ECHO Clubs have only been launched in the primary schools with pupils from eight to 12 years old as their members. Lewis revealed that a ‘Green Ambassadors’ programme’ will target students in the secondary schools.
“As I speak, preparations are ongoing for this programme to be launched in Region 10,” she disclosed.
As part of the promotion efforts, a website will be soon established with a view of linking ECHO students around the world, even as plans take shape for the introduction of an ECHO newsletter.
According to Lewis, ECHO is looking to work in closer collaboration with the Ministry of Education in an attempt to partner in promoting environmental consciousness of children in order to protect the earth and its resources.
It is the view of ECHO that children can be involved in processes in which they become change agents in their local communities.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health promotion is the process of enabling people to take greater control over the conditions that affect their health. This definition has shaped the approach of health promotion, shifting it from a lifestyle approach to one that accounts for a more participatory socio-ecological approach.
The definition by WHO places great emphasis on community health and participation of communities as key health promotion strategies. Although there are different levels of community participation, all of them recognise and build on the strengths of, and participation within the communities, and assume that community members know best what their problems are and what solutions will work for them.

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