On July 24, 2022, the final event of the PASCH school project “Eco Heroes” took place at the German Embassy in Cairo. The environmental project was carried out by the Goethe-Institut Alexandria in cooperation with the environmental organization Youthinkgreen and supported by the German Embassy and Cairo Climate Talks.
The project aimed to sensitize students from various PASCH schools across Egypt to the issue of climate change and to develop and implement possible solutions over a period of two months. Ninety students from Alexandria, Cairo, Damanhour, and Sohag, divided into 11 student groups, had already identified various environmental problems in the preparatory workshops and developed corresponding project outlines. Within four weeks they made explorative excursions as well as visited the plastic factory in Cairo, the solar plants of the Faculty of Science of Alexandria University and Quaraman Island in Sohag. On the 24th of July, the student groups presented the results of their work and the implemented environmental protection measures in a short documentary film.
A jury consisting of three experts then selected the best projects. The group of students from the Experimental School Sohag achieved first place with their project “Smart Road”. Second place went to the “Oil is Soap” project from El Quds School, followed by Mustakbal School and its “Future is a drop” project in third place.
Ambassador Hartmann said at the opening ceremony, “Egypt is hosting the COP27 climate conference this year, and the fight against climate change is also a top priority for the German government. But this fight cannot be waged by governments alone. It is a task for each and every one of us. The participation and commitment of young people is absolutely essential. That’s why I’m all the more pleased to see so many outstanding ideas from young people for climate protection this evening. We can all learn a lot from them.”
Mr. Sebastian Vötter, Regional Specialist for Language and Deputy Director of the Goethe-Institut said, “We must increasingly promote skills, especially among young people, that cannot be replaced by other resources in the future: Problem-solving skills, creativity, flexibility, empathy, intercultural competence and creative will, or in summary the so-called 21st century skills. Eco Heroes is a very good example of this.”
Are you interested? Don’t miss out by registering to our events. We hope to see you there.