Ecomobility – an awareness raising campaign
The aim of the activity:
Ecomobility is a project with outstanding results when it comes to educating teenagers and raise awareness among local communities about sustainable mobility through voluntary school activity.
The Ecomobility project is designed as contest and is a volunteer learning program, approved by the Ministry of Education and is highly distinguished among environmental school programs. It is implemented support from different governmental bodies which is a strength. The scientific support is undertaken by the National Technical University-Lab of Sustainable Mobility and the Judging Committee consists of representatives of 40 cooperating associations related to the programs’ concept and content. Ecomobility includes three actions:
- Ecomobility projects carried out by Secondary Education students,
- Freemobility projects carried out by Special Schools Students and
- Eco2mobility projects carried out by adults attending Second Chance Schools.
The participating school-teams consist of 8 high school students each coordinated by one or two teachers. Their task is to complete a study about sustainable mobility in their municipality presenting ways to encourage environmental-friendly mobility choices by local residents. The local authorities’ leaders are informed by the organizers about the students’ tasks and are invited to facilitate their work and host a local event upon completion. During the final events, students suggestions are presented. Local decision makers are invited to foster discussions comparing students’ vision with reality thus stimulating students’ political awareness and activism. Representatives of scientific organizations, civil bodies and local authorities offer their valuable help during the school projects preparation and evaluation processes. 20 different criteria are used to select the best projects of all participating schools in Greece. The winning project will get an educational trip to the European Parliament in Brussels. Moreover four school teams that use their creativity and imagination presenting excellent artistic work win four trips to ECOCAMPS.
The Awards Ceremony takes place in Athens. Representatives of various political and local authorities as well as environmental, educational and scientific institutes are among the audience of the award ceremony.
Teenagers, in the second grade school community, learn that the urban environment is not static and that their everyday reality could change radically if a more progressive political agenda in favor of vulnerable road users could be implemented. Parents are informed by their children about the environmental and social impact of their everyday mobility behavior and learn how they could reduce their environmental and social footprint. Decision makers are stimulated by the students to act more radically towards implementing sustainable mobility policies and awareness is raised by residents about the need to change everyday habits and the priorities of urban
and transport planning.
Students focus on spotting sustainable mobility issues, on transportation problems of their area or town and are expected to propose realistic solutions for the benefit of the local society and more as a whole. The students’ team members are offered the opportunity to cultivate their cooperation, their creative and artistic skills, to develop their sense of responsibility and to take initiatives towards the society.
Students often invite social bodies of their cities to co-act. Local decision makers support the students project by presenting and explaining the city 4-year plan and the
interaction of prerequisites on public dialogue and decision making. They also provide help on organizing the local events and offer the young teenagers a political voice. Implementing the students’ vision and ideas would be the most influential action of local decision makers but is rarely the case. Journalists have the responsibility to cover the events and raise awareness between every citizen interested in improving urban environment.
The Ecomobility campaign is the result of cooperation of school leaders, teachers, high school students, decision makers, environmental organizations, social institutions,
universities, research centers and sponsors. A Organizational Committee is needed with communicative skills to back up the numerous phone calls and visits needed to organize the events and provide the students the incentives and help to take part at the campaign.
If you find this interesting, please read more about the practice in the background analysis.
Below you you find a promotion video for the project produced by Ecocity: