Your Name and Title: Katie Chandler, Program Director
School, Library, or Organization Name: Etta Projects
Co-Presenter Name(s): Cassie Hilton, Pennye Nixon
Country from Which You Will Present: United States
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.): primary school teachers
Short Session Description (one line): Creating an education program using Etta Projects' experiences in Bolivia designed to inspire students to consider realities beyond our corner of the world and recognize international challenges particularly related to water, sanitation and poverty.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
Sometimes it is difficult for students to understand the need to preserve our environment or protect our resources. In the Pacific Northwest for example (where Etta Projects U.S office is located) we have the economy and technology in place, for example, to turn a tap and receive a seemingly infinite supply of water or to press a lever and conveniently dispose of our wastes. We do these things without giving them a second thought. Because of this, it is difficult to form habits that promote conservation efforts – especially at an early age. As our population grows and our use of resources increases, local educators have voiced a concern that our education system needs to proactively address issues regarding our global interconnectedness.
In response to this concern, Etta Projects (a NGO whose mission is to partner with Bolivian communities to implement sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, while educating and inspiring North American to act for positive change) has launched a domestic education program partnering with local elementary and middle schools. The program is designed to inspire students to consider realities beyond our corner of the world and recognize international challenges particularly related to water, sanitation and poverty.
Our pilot curriculum focused on these learnings:
- Bolivian culture and life
- Water scarcity and abundance – both physical and economic
- Providing clean water in developing nations (SODIS, filtering, rain harvesting, and wells)
- Our local water situation and system
- How one person can make a difference
Using the lens of our experiences in Bolivia, a dedicated team of Etta Projects’ staff and board members guide students through a process of contemplating the challenges of water scarcity. We engage in an interactive process discovering how being poor affects access to clean water, and how access to clean water impacts health, education and well-being.
The most notable observations of this program thus far were first, the profound lack of awareness of the common realities that poor people endure daily in developing countries and second, the immediate inspiration young people had to contribute to positive social change once they learned about poverty in these areas. The reaction from the participating students was one of the same: “Do people really live like this?” “They actually have to carry water to their homes” “They don’t have bathrooms?” “What can I do to help?”
Teachers and students learn to see these issues from multiple perspectives, and in doing so they gain awareness, curiosity, respect for diversity, empathy, and a commitment to social justice and environmental conservation. One teacher states,
“Our students have learned so much about the country of Bolivia, as well as how water affects all of our lives no matter where we live. We have learned that we can all come up with ways to help improve the water situation in our world. One of the most important things we have learned, I believe, is understanding and empathy for those who are not fortunate as we are to have the "endless" supply of water. Many of our students now believe they not only want to but truly can make something happen to help others.”
Robin Sage, 5th grade teacher, Skyline Elementary
Another fifth grade teachers shares:
“This program was a wonderful opportunity for my students to learn about countries where poverty impacts children’s daily life and health. My students learned what the impact of not having clean water is to the children of Bolivia. They were able to do activities that gave them a small insight into a life that they have not experienced. My students looked forward to it every week and they absolutely loved getting letters from the children.
This opportunity has given my students compassion for children living in poverty. They have been so moved by this they have shared many things with their families. I was amazed how they realized that one student can make a difference. They made pledges to conserve water and I know that some will want to be involved with the Etta Project as they grow up.”
Susan Habersetzer, 5th grade teacher, Skyline Elementary
While other nonprofits are doing similar work in schools, Etta Projects’ education program stands apart. We use videos, pen pal letters, photos, stories, case studies, dialogue sessions, and experiments (such as testing water from Bolivia) to give local students the opportunity to interact and form real relationships with Bolivian communities. Distant problems are transformed into real issues; real issues take on names, faces and personal testimonies. Students explore how impoverished people utilize water and begin to understand the daily struggles faced by those who live without adequate clean supplies of this precious resource. They reflect on how they use water in their own everyday lives and think about what they can do both locally and internationally to maintain and contribute to a healthy water supply. Rather than simply digesting information and learning passively, students participate in a variety of interactive activities that encourage them to contemplate their own daily habits and the impacts of their behavior as it relates to our earth and the people who live here.
The final workshop of a series of five challenges students to answer the question: “How can I make a difference?” Many students make pledges to improve their behavior involving water conservation. Others share ideas of complicated inventions that hope to create to improve water technology. While the ideas were diverse, a unified message rings clear: a recognition from all students of the important role they hold in creating a better future for our shared world and all its people.
It is Etta Projects’ belief that young learners have a remarkable desire to make a difference in their world. We want to shine a light on a problem that is outside student awareness and point young learners toward some promising solutions. Our goal is to ignite student creativity and enthusiasm – to engage them in the possible. Students are empowered by the belief that they can achieve things that are greater than themselves – that they can create their own bright future. Etta Projects’ domestic education project is proud to be a part of that empowerment.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: www.ettaprojects.org
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