Environmental Education and Advocacy
ATP has made environmental education one of its core program areas in order to prepare the nation’s youth for becoming the next generation of environmental stewards. By actively engaging youth in a process to better understand and appreciate the value of a healthy and sustainable environment, ATP seeks to protect Armenia’s remaining forests and the trees we plant today from future exploitation.
Armenia’s public school system does not have an environmental education component so ATP designed a curriculum that was introduced to the Ministry of Education for consideration as a mandatory teaching tool for primary through secondary school students. The “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” book was approved by the National Institute of Education as a manual for science teachers in public schools and all schools in Armenia have received the curriculum. Today, ATP in collaboration with the National Institute of Education provides trainings on environmental education in all regions of Armenia.
In addition, our reforestation work in rural villages has a key educational component focusing on youth and local partners. The Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental Education Center at our nursery in Karin is a state-of-the-art facility in which students and professionals attend trainings and seminars on trees and the environment. ATP also inaugurated the Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies in Margahovit, which is a regional destination for hands-on instruction covering a wide range of environmental topics.
ATP also presents material about Armenia’s environment in an educational program in the Diaspora called “Building Bridges: Connecting Diaspora Armenian Students with Their Environmental Heritage.” The Building Bridges program includes classroom presentations, visits by diasporan students to ATP sites in Armenia, a colorful newsletter, and a dedicated website with an interactive tree planting game.
Advocating for the development of a sustainable forest policy in Armenia and environmental laws that provide for natural resource protection is most effectively accomplished with a coalition of like-minded individuals and groups. ATP will continue to work in collaboration with partners to promote an environmental ethic at all levels of society.