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 experienceis 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.

Environmental Justice: Visiting Different Social and Ecological Landscapes and Areas of Environmental Contestations in Karnataka, India: Course Report

In December 2021, ESG organised an experiential learning certificate course “Environmental Justice: Visiting Different Social and Ecological Landscapes and Areas of Environmental Contestations in Karnataka, India” for 28 students from O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat.

Collaboration with local schools and colleges

ESG collaborates with local scools 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.

Designing For A Just Transition

ESG conducted an interactive day-long workshop on Human-Centred Approach to Planning and Decision Making of Mega Projects For Students of Srishti School of Design

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.

Report -5 Taluk-level Workshops for Bengaluru Rural District - Decentralised Governance of Lakes and other Water Commons 

For over two decades, ESG has focussed on emerging urban environmental and socio-economic challenges and worked with multiple communities, government agencies, academia, media, etc. in attending to these issues and conflicts.

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.

Exploring Environmental Education Beyond The Classroom

Environment Support Group (ESG), in collaboration with Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, hosted a teacher's workshop focused on "Exploring Environmental Education Beyond the Classroom" from July 9th to 11th, 2009. The twenty participants included teachers from ICSE, CBSE, and SSLC schools, young activists, and even a recent medical graduate, all with diverse backgrounds but a common interest in improving their environmental awareness.

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.

Children's Workshops on Climate Change

With rising April temperatures in the city and summer vacations having just begun, a group of 21 children representing many schools in Bangalore and coming from many neighbourhoods in South Bangalore actively participated in a five day summer workshop organized by the Environment Support Group (ESG) at the ESG office in Bangalore to understand the complex issues of Climate Change and global warming and learn how to combat the same.

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.