The South - Eastern Mediterranean Environmental Project (SEMEP)

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION NETWORK SEMEP - UNESCO

SEMEP (South - Eastern Mediterranean Environmental Project) is a sub-regional envi­ron­mental education project - net­work that incorporates technological, economic, histori­cal, ethical and cultural aspects. It combines interdisciplinary teaching approaches with holistic learning. It also pro­vides an opportunity to consider environmental issues that are of common concern to countries in the sub-region. Finally, it encourages collaboration and networking at both governmental and non-gov­ernmental levels.

SEMEP is addressed to pupils of kindergarten, primary and secondary education schools as well as to students of technical and vocational institutions, without excluding other levels of educa­tion as well as the general public. The following coun­tries are involved in the project: Albania, Bul­garia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Malta, the Pales­tin­ian authority, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey. The project has been implemented since the scholas­tic year 1995-1996 and its language of com­munication is English.

SEMEP aims at the correlation of natural and social environment with the cultural val­ues of the people of this region, which for thousands of years have been the crossroad of vari­ous civiliza­tions. It also creates an educational, environmental and cultural network of com­munication and col­laboration among teachers and pupils. It, eventually, aims to enhance the environ­mental literacy of people in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

SEMEP endeavours to promote a conscious­ness in the youth and school children of their com­mon environmental, historical, geographical and socio-cultural heritage in order to create lasting in­tellectual and sentimental bonds that can go a long way to defuse the tensions that lead to conflict.

SEMEP is coordinated by a General Coordinator of UNESCO and a National Coordi­nator (nominated by the Ministry of Education) in each participating country. Once a year a National Co­ordinators’ meeting is held for the evaluation of the last year’s of implementation and the planning of the next year’s activities. Communication between the participants (pupils and teachers) takes place almost exclusively via e-mail.

 SEMEP themes so far:

“The sea and Us” (1995-1996, 1996-1997 & 2001-2002): The study of: (1) A beach area and the examination of various envi­ronmental factors affecting it, such as accessibility, facilities, use of the beach, maintenance and improvement of the beach, cleanliness (of the seawater, of the land area and of the seabed) and attractiveness of this beach for its visitors. (2) A man-made structure on the seashore (port, marina, industry, hotel, aquiculture etc.) to study the benefit of the construction for the people (necessity for the area, increase of the employment, pros­perity etc.) in relation to the environ­mental, social and aesthetic impact of it.

“Water and life” (1997-1998): This theme gives the opportunity to the pupils to estimate and cal­culate the water they use and, further, to study some environmental, scientific, so­ciologistic and politic issues that arise from the extreme use of water. The theme is planned in order to help pu­pils study and learn about the way that humans use the water: home usage (water for drinking, for washing, for flushing the toilet etc.), water for irrigation and water for the industry.

“Water in our environment” (1998-1999 & 1999-2000): This theme provides the opportu­nity to study different types of ecosystems related to the water in our environment in relation to envi­ronmental, sci­entific, social and other factors. Sub-titles of the theme are: Sources of water; River water and its ecosystem; River estuary and its ecosystem; The sea and its ecosystem; Lake / Reser­voir water and its ecosystem; The fresh water ecosystem and us; Ownership of the water in our envi­ronment; The ecosystems through the ages.

 “Go Green Quiz” (2000-2001, 2001-2002 & 2002-2003): The activities of this theme were planned to simplify the SEMEP work­sheets for younger pupils as well as to make them more attrac­tive for them. Pupils find answers to certain questions and gather points. From the total points they have achieved they make a conclusion for the characterization of how “Green” they are.

 From that period and further on, worksheets only put forward suggestions on various aspects of the theme studied in each scholastic year. Teachers and students became freer to produce their own activities and implement their own ideas based only on brief worksheets, decided during the national coordinators meeting.

  “Mediterranean environment & culture” (2001-2002, implemented only in Greek schools): Suggested subtitles are: Sea and civiliza­tion; Environment in ancient religion; Environment in litera­ture; Environment in painting and sculpture; Environment, constructions and architecture; Environ­ment in popular art; Environ­ment and dancing.

“Mediterranean Diet” (2002-2003 & 2003-2004): Suggested subtitles are: Mediterranean food recipes; Mediter­ranean medicinal plants; Mediterranean, mythology and plants; Mediterranean, games and game animals; Mediterranean marine biodiversity and food; Farming around Mediterra­nean; Strang­ers in the Mediterranean; How much food we consume in one year; The food pyramid; An­ecdotes on diets.

 “Water, the essence of life” (2003-2004): Suggested subtitles are: Water as an architect of our planet Earth; Water and health; Water and diet; Water and sport; Water and law; Water and culture; Water and energy; Water in the environment; How much water we consume?; Water and life.

“Discover your city” (2004-2005 & 2005-2006): Suggested activity titles are: Surveys; Sta­tistics; Interviews; Catalogs; Collections; Maps; Utopias; Contests; Awards; Excursions; Historical and cultural study from a sustainable perspective; History writing (my family, my school, my habitat); De­bates on sustainability at local level; Visual and auditory performances.

 SEMEP was officially established during the 27th General Conference of UNESCO (1993) after a Greek proposal.

In its first period (1994-1999), the launching meeting (Athens 1994) and three Na­tional Co­ordinators meetings (Athens 1996, Thessaloniki 1997 and Thessalo­niki 1998) as well as a summer school for ten students and two teachers from each partici­pating country (Thes­saloniki 1997) have taken place. An extraordinary National Co­ordina­tors meeting (Athens 1999) re-assured the con­tinuation of SEMEP.

In its second period (2000-) six National Coordinators meetings (Genoa 2000, Antalya 2001, Athens 2002, Istanbul 2003, Genoa 2004, Istanbul 2005), a three-day teachers seminar for two teachers from each participating country (Ath­ens 2000), a Summer School for two teachers from each of six countries neighboring Turkey (Antalya 2001), a re­gional (Adriatic) National Coordinators meeting (Izola - Slovenia 2001), a Summer School for teachers from each of three countries neighboring Turkey (Antalya 2004) and a two-day teachers seminar for two teachers from each par­ticipating country (Alexandroupolis - Greece 2004) have taken place so far.

UNESCO’s webpage for SEMEP:

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=16361&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

There is also a National (Greek) webpage for SEMEP:   http://kpe-vamou.chan.sch.gr/semep/

SEMEP International Meetings so far …

·        Launching meeting (Athens Greece, November 1994).

·        First National Coordinators’ meeting (Athens Greece, September 1996).

·        First regional SEMEP Summer School for ten stu­dents (boys and girls) and two teach­ers from each participating country (Thessaloniki Greece, August 1997).

·        Second National Coordinators’ meeting (Thessaloniki Greece, August 1997).

·        Third National Coordinators’ meeting (Thessaloniki Greece, July 1998).

·        Extraordinary National Coordinators’ meeting (Athens Greece, December 1999), to re-assure the continuation of SEMEP.

·        Fourth National Coordinators’ meeting (Genoa Italy, July 2000).

·        A three-day regional teachers’ seminar for two teachers from each participating coun­try (Ath­ens Greece, November 2000).

·        SEMEP local Summer School (Antalya Turkey, May 2001) for two teachers from each of six countries neighboring Turkey.

·        Fifth National Coordinators’ meeting (Antalya Turkey, June 2001).

·        A local (Adriatic) National Coordinators’ meeting (Izola - Slovenia, October 2001).

·        Sixth National Coordinators’ meeting (Athens Greece, April 2002).

·        Seventh National Coordinators’ meeting (Istanbul Turkey, April 2003).

·        Eighth National Coordinators’ meeting (Genoa Italy, July 2004).

·        SEMEP local Summer School for two teachers from each of three countries neighbor­ing Turkey (Antalya, July 2004).

·        A two-day regional teachers’ seminar for two teachers from each participating coun­try (Alexandroupolis Greece, November 2004).

·        Ninth National Coordinators’ meeting (Istanbul Turkey, May 2005).

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