Presenters:
John Etgen, Project WET International Foundation
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an international water resources education program that facilitates and promotes the awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and through the establishment of state and internationally sponsored Project WET programs. Project WET has over 20 years of experience in water resources education of youth and has published one of the most extensive sets of water curriculum for teachers and children in the world.
Currently, Project WET has official international programs operating in 21 countries. In the United States, Project WET has state and local coordinators in every state that annually conduct 900 school/community workshops reaching 20,000 teachers and 600,000 youth ages 5 through 18. One of the most well established Project WET programs internationally is that of Mexico. Project WET Mexico's programs known as ¡Encaucemos el Agua!. Directed by the Mexican Institute for Water Technology, Project WET Mexico trains hundreds of teachers each year and reaches thousands of students with water education. www.projectwet.org
Maria Alegria, Gota a Gota Program, Chilean Directorate of Waters
An educational program for young and school children—future leaders—that educates them about the importance protecting water resources and making wise water decisions. Focuses on:
- Educational material for formal education
- Teacher’s capacity building and workshops
- Lectures about Water Resources for School Children
- Field activities to teach school children the concept of Integral Water Cycle
- Water Project Contests
- Schools Meteorological Network
- Activities related to the International Year of Fresh Water during 2003
- Educational website
- Work with Adults Schools
- Work with Rural Teachers
- Fairs and Exhibitions
- Any activity that aims to develop Water Culture
Marcelo Gaviño, Agua y Educación (UNESCO), UNESCO-International Hydrologic program
An educational program about hydrologic resources, developed to build a stronger awareness about the subjects of water from a constructivist perspective. The program consists of three phases:
- Development of an educational kit that teaches about:
- the function of the hydrologic cycle as a base to sustain actions that preserve hydrologic resources
- understanding water, its availability, and its relationship to other natural resources
- the development of positive attitudes to avoid the deterioration of water and the impacts of extreme situations that affect humans
- and promote the development of education that is ongoing, grows, and deepens the understanding about water and the main ways to take action.
- The second phase involves validation workshops with teachers from different sub-regions. In Argentina, eight workshops have been held to date.
- The third phase has begun and consists in the elaboration of materials specific to hydrologic resources of each sub-region or country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Justin Howe, Discover a Watershed: The Colorado—a program of the Project WET International Foundation
Transboundary watershed based curriculum and educational program that focuses on the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Colorado River is one of the major sources of water in the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. The program was developed and sponsored by Mexican and American organizations. Central elements of the project are 1) a bi-national, 6-week expedition from headwaters to delta, 2) a 450 page educators guide for junior high and high school teachers in Mexico and the United States, 3) a children's activity booklet for 8-12 year olds that teaches about how the watershed binds users of Colorado River water together, and 4) teacher training workshops in the United States and Mexico. All material was developed and is available in English and Spanish. Educators and water resource managers from both countries participated in this highly acclaimed project. www.discoverawatershed.org
Rita Vázquez, Discover a Watershed: The Pátzcuaro—a joint publication between the Mexican Institute for Water Technology and the Project WET International Foundation
Educational program, with an emphasis in hydrologic resources, specific to the watershed of the Lake of Pátzquaro in the state of Michoacán, México. It was developed and tested in the field in collaboration with teachers and specialists in the region. It is part of the Program of Environmental Recuperation of the Lake of Pátzquaro, which is sponsored by the government of Michoacán, municipal governments of Pátzquaro, Erongarícuaro, Quiroga y Tzintzuntzan, the Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation, and the Mexican Institute of Water Technology.
The guide Descubre una Cuenca: el lago de Patzquaro is designed for the general public, but especially for teachers and non-formal educators. It contains detailed descriptions of the watershed that includes its history, hydrology, flora, fauna, cultural aspects, environmental challenges, etc. In addition, there is a special section for teachers, and a wall-map. Five-thousand copies have been distributed in the watershed. www.imta.mx
