Trier students win prize for innovative educational projects in Namibia!

Trier students win prize for innovative educational projects in Namibia!

Leonie Ogait and Annika Hoffmann, two committed teacher training students University of Trier, were presented at this year's event Youth Engagement Competition awarded first prize in Rhineland-Palatinate. The award ceremony took place in the State Chancellery in Mainz and was personally conducted by Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer. This award recognizes the two young women's innovative approach to integrating education for sustainable development (ESD) into the classroom.

During a three-week exchange in Namibia, the two students developed valuable ideas that are now being tested in German and Namibian schools. The projects they presented demonstrate not only creativity but also a deep commitment to green education.

Sustainability and education in focus

Annika Hoffmann has developed a game called “Plastic Town” that deals with the plastic crisis. Using sustainable materials such as wooden cubes and recyclable game pieces, students in grades five to seven are introduced to the topic of sustainable consumption and the problem of microplastics. It is important that the game is available in both German and English.

Leonie Ogait, on the other hand, has designed a learning module about cheetahs that will be used in English and biology lessons. This project was carried out in collaboration with teachers from Namibia and Nicaragua as well as theCheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)realized. A Namibian school class provided essential information and materials to promote understanding of cheetahs and their habitat. The aim is to improve students' English skills and at the same time create awareness about protecting the species.

Competition success story

The youth engagement competition celebrated its eleventh anniversary this year. With a total of 29 funded projects from Rhineland-Palatinate, each supported with 500 euros, the competition shows a clear trend towards promoting topics such as environmental protection, strengthening democracy and social cohesion. Prime Minister Schweitzer praised the committed award winners and their ideas in the State Chancellery.

For example, the variety of projects supported includes the “Reading Dog” initiative at the Theobald Simon School in Bitburg, where children learn with trained dogs. Another remarkable project from Ludwigshafen focuses on the exchange between students and nursing homes. These initiatives reflect the competition's overarching goal of supporting children and young people up to the age of 27 in their own projects.

ESD as a future-oriented educational concept

The approach to education for sustainable development aims to prepare students to act responsibly and actively contribute to solving social challenges. Education for sustainable development promotes skills such as reflecting on one's own decisions and acting proactively. This is particularly important in times of challenges such as climate change and natural resource reductions such as them bildung.rlp.de describes.

The financial resources that Ogait and Hoffmann received will be used to further develop their projects. Next April, the results of both projects will be presented as part of a German-Namibian ESD further training at the University of Trier. This presentation will provide the opportunity to make the materials developed available to a wider audience and to promote further discussions about the integration of sustainable education into schools.