Official AUGE Project Launch
The official launch of the AUGE Project (Advancing Utterly Green Environments), which is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and has a duration of 13 months, took place on Monday May 31, 2022. The Project falls within the framework of Basic Action 2, concerning Cooperation among Organizations and Institutions for innovation and the exchange of good practices. It was funded by the Small-Scale Partnerships project.
The AUGE Project was designed on the basis of the Horizontal Priority of the Erasmus+ Programme “Environment and the Fight against Global Warming”, and it focuses on the sector of School Education. Apart from raising awareness about environmental issues related to the climate crisis, saving resources, recycling and soft (renewable) forms of energy, the project’s goals also include, on the one hand, the support of teachers and school principals through training them in matters related to energy saving and creative reuse (upcycling) in school units, and, on the other hand, the development of the participants’ basic skills(cultivating cooperation, creativity, focus, initiative, active citizenship, empathy, etc.). The project is coordinated by the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus – TSCC (under the responsibility of the Assistant Professor Maria Pavlou). The Orthodox Academy of Crete – OAC is a project partner, with Dr. Konstantinos Zorbas (Director General of OAC) and Antonis Kalogerakis (Head of the Institute of Theology and Ecology – established by the OAC) in charge.
In the context of the meeting, the project’s goals were mentioned, its interdisciplinary character was underlined, the experimental workshops that will be implemented within the next semester were presented, while a brief reference was also made to the creation of authentic learning material, as well as to relevant Workshops that will take place in Cyprus and Crete respectively. During the presentation, the Organisations involved had the opportunity to discuss various issues around the emerging prospects of this collaboration through the AUGE Project, while they expressed the belief that this collaboration will enhance further the already close and cordial relations between the TSCC and the OAC.
May the journey that begins leave many “green footprints” and contribute in its own way to the formation of an ecologically aware way of thinking and encourage students to see the world not as their property but as a divine gift. Theological Ecology is, after all, a key axis of the project and special emphasis was placed on this area during the presentation.
