Education

Overview

Key focus is on Experiential Education
Experiential Educational programs aim to develop a citizenry that is concerned, informed and critically engaged in environmental and social justice issues. Education can aid citizens in acquiring knowledge, attitudes, motivation, commitment and skills to work both collectively and as individuals towards solving current problems and preventing new ones. We believe that direct engagement and experience is the best way to learn about the world. We are very keen to provide such opportunities to children, students, teachers, researchers and communities so that they may truly understand our society and engage with it responsibly, proactively and progressively in the cause of advancing environmental and social justice.

Collaboration with local schools and colleges
ESG collaborates with local schools and colleges through a variety of environmental educational programs. ESG has coordinated experiential field visits, talks, documentary films, discussions, student workshops and interaction with local communities and experts to help students understand and appreciate the environment.

Community Outreach
ESG has advanced the environmental and social justice concerns of local communities, especially project affected communities, by organising public interest workshops. Some of the workshops have been on specific issues and have included elected representatives, government agencies, judiciary, corporate organisations, mass media, and civil society organisations. ESG has conducted several workshops for communities to empower them through access to information, participation and justice in environmental decision-making. ESG has engaged with communities in the city of Bangalore, coastal Karnataka, Western Ghats, North Karnataka, fishing communities of Kerala, communities in Orissa and in the North East.

Teacher Training Workshops
ESG conducts Experiential Workshops aimed at helping teachers understand some of the major environmental and social issues of our times. The aim is to develop teaching methods and techniques to address them. The broad methodological approach to learning in these workshops is through lectures from leading experts, participant presentations, field visits and case studies related to issues of concern.

Youth and Children’s Workshops
ESG critically engages children and youth in a workshop based, multi-disciplinary learning approach, aimed at active engagement in environmental and social justice issues. Each program has been designed to give students the opportunity to explore significant social, political, and environmental issues using an innovative experiential approach. Our Educational programs exposes students to a wide range of issues and perspectives, requiring them to think and question critically. The methodology is through interactive discussions, experiential exposures, hands-on activities and games.

International Collaborations
ESG collaborates with several Study Abroad programs for student groups from around the world. The India Programme of the Minnesota Studies in International Development offered by Learning Abroad Centre of University of Minnesota, USA, has been coordinated by ESG in Bangalore. ESG has also coordinated India Programmes of International Honours Programs, Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Program and Study Abroad programs of University of Washington, Seattle. ESG facilitated guest lectures, field excursions, case studies and interactive discussions and debates that were highly appreciated by and rewarding to the students.