Education on Water Management and Environmental Stewardship

WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

Through on-the-ground initiatives, awareness-raising, and advocacy, we apply a principle of co-leadership and participation by children and youth:

• We are committed to raising awareness and providing education on environmental rights both in France and abroad
• ​We collaborate with nonprofit partners to train and support local communities in defending their rights
• We develop aquaponics systems to raise awareness among young people and equip them with the tools for sustainable agriculture that benefits everyone 
• We engage with French and international decision-makers and institutions.

“Ça coule de source” project in partnership with Aquaponia (a training and awareness center dedicated to aquaponics)

It is organized into two phases (see additional information)

This program involves several hundred elementary school students and focuses on sustainable water management, aquaponics, eco-friendly practices, sustainable food systems, and international solidarity.

Objectives: The program aims to equip children with the tools to understand the effects of climate change, particularly on water resources, biodiversity, and environmental inequalities.

Building on what they learn, they will be encouraged to devise local solutions, adopt responsible behaviors, and become agents of change—both at school and in their communities—while interacting with other children around the world to better understand that local impacts are always linked to global ones.

Actions: Each partner school installs an aquaponics system, an eco-friendly educational tool that connects concepts such as the water cycle, biodiversity, sustainable food systems, responsible consumption, mathematics, and science.

Practical activities throughout the project:

• ​Classroom workshops on water, ecology, and eco-friendly practices
• Visit to the Echologia Center
• Field trips: wastewater treatment plant, litter cleanup along a waterway...

Extension: Starting in the second year, schools participating in the project build relationships with international partner institutions in countries where Terre des Hommes France works to promote environmental justice.