Latvia

Our school participated in Comenius partnership in 2003 as a partner and in 2011-2013 we are school coordinator in another Comenius partnership, we got experience in implementing project activities and budget. Our School is situated in a small town Olaine about 25 km from the capital of Latvia – Riga. School started to participate in the international Eco School program 2007/2008 academic year and successfully continued its activities within the program for 5 years. The school got the Eco School status and it was awarded the Green Flag 4 years year by year. Master Degree and students’ scientific research works were created with the topic "Eco School program impact on the school environment". Tolerance to our Environment is quite crucial in our century for all of us. We have different activities connected with Forests and their role in human life in 2012/2013 (exhibitions, collages, tolerance games on careful attitude to forests, excursions to Forests, lessons about Nature and Forests etc.). Special attention is paid to ecological education in our school. We have Eco-Council where students prepare different activities directed to promote tolerant attitude to the environment.  Students visit Latvian National Parks as well, so it would be very important to have opportunity to get knowledge about National Parks in other European countries, to share experience and information about Natural Wonders in partner countries. The school is considered as a big one with pupils aged from 6 to 18 years old. The school has problems common to all schools located in small towns: not enough opportunities for children to spend their free time,  these opportunities are connected with school activities or activities offered by our local authorities. Our town was the centre of chemical industry previously, when chemical plants were producing chemical pills, etc. Our Local Authorities made much for making Environment healthy (they created Park for people in city). Problem of drug and alcohol addiction is crucial for the pupils. Cooperating with partners abroad may enrich the pupils’ knowledge, teach them some social skills and make them be aware of other cultures (and their own culture) and, in this way, develop tolerant attitude in them. Contacts and visits to other countries will enable our students to practise languages too. Altogether, the activities in the project will improve the pupils’ self-confidence, can help them to be more interested in problems Ecology and Nature.