1st Educational Conference of CYCERE

“How to build an environmentally better world:
Environmental Education and Environmental Research” (April 16, 2005)

The educational conference organized by the Cyprus Center for Environmental Research and Education (CYCERE), having as subject “How to make an environmentally better world: Environmental Education and Environmental Research”, was characterized by great success. At the conference, held on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at the Cultural Events Hall of the Bank of Cyprus, eminent personalities gave a speech including the Deen of the University of Crete Mrs. G. Filis and  the Associate Professor of the University of Cyprus Mr. C.P.Constantinou.      More than 170 participants attended the educational conference, especially teachers, school directors and inspectors. The conference was also attended by students from schools located both in the central areas and in the district of Limassol, who had the opportunity to express their views on the subject mentioned above.

Some of the most interesting conclusions of the conference are that the Centers for Environmental Education have the ability to contribute greatly into the formation of positive attitudes towards the environment and that CYCERE’s environmental education programs are really successful. Only a small percentage of 2.5% of the students and 3.8% of the teachers at the secondary education participate in environmental education programs. Environmental issues and crime seem to concern high school students at the same extent. Moreover, the conference concluded that an interdisciplinary approach of the environmental issues is not adequate and that the students’ desire about the introduction of a special course regarding the environmental issues should be promoted. Finally, it emerged that the students’ knowledge is particularly lacking in matters relating to the Cypriot environment and stressed that environmental educators should be teachers specialized on environmental issues. The distinction between Centers for Environmental Information and Environmental Education Centres was also emphasized.

At the end of the educational conference, participation certificates were shared to the directors, teachers and school students who participated in the environmental education programs of the Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education. It is worth mentioning that within a few months hundreds of students (over 1,000) and dozens of teachers have participated with success in the environmental education programs of the CYCERE which are free.