Yogyakarta NGOs help children study nature<\/p>\n
Bambang M, Contributor\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
A group of kindergarten children looked delighted when activists
\nfrom Hijau - Gerakan Peduli Lingkungan (Hijau-GPL), an non-
\ngovernmental organization (NGO) based in Yogyakarta, took them to
\nSamas Beach in Bantul to release baby lekang turtles
\n(Lepidochelys olivacea) to the sea.<\/p>\n
They yelled loudly in excitement at the crawling turtles,
\nencouraging them to reach the sea quickly. Earlier, they had
\nreceived a short briefing about the turtle world, including the
\nimportance of conservation.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, these young children were very enthusiastic and
\nasked many questions about turtles.<\/p>\n
Hijau-GPL is one of a number of NGOs in the city that pay
\nspecial attention to educating children about the environment and
\nenvironmentally friendly behavior.<\/p>\n
Other NGOs include Kelompok Pecinta Alam Fakultas Psikologi
\nUGM (Palapsi), Earth Kids and Langkah Bocah.<\/p>\n
They consider the move urgent because environmental
\neducation for children at both kindergartens and elementary
\nschools is lacking in the country, despite its importance.<\/p>\n
\"I do think it's important to give children environmental
\neducation because the older they are the more difficult it will
\nbe to develop a concern for the environment,\" Demitria, head of
\nthe Early Childhood and Development Rescue Center (ECCD RC)
\nkindergarten, whose pupils were among those taken to
\nSamas Beach, said.<\/p>\n
Purwo Madya Witono, a teacher at SD Bangunrejo I elementary
\nschool agreed, saying that environmental education in elementary
\nschools has been given only token reference, as part of various
\nsubjects such as natural science and social science. That was
\ninsufficient, Purwo said.<\/p>\n
Educational expert Ki Gunawan of Taman Siswa even blames such
\na lack of environmental education in elementary schools as the
\nroot of many problems related to the extensive damage of the
\ncountry's natural environment.<\/p>\n
It is for this reason that NGOs like Hijau-GPL pay special
\nattention to providing environmental education to preschool
\nchildren. They visit kindergartens and elementary schools,
\noffering outdoor programs that are designed to educate children
\nabout the importance of loving nature and preserving it.<\/p>\n
\"Theory is not enough on its own. They (the children) need to
\nlearn directly from nature and implement directly environmentally
\nfriendly behavior there,\" M Panji Kusumah of Hijau - GPL said.<\/p>\n
Besides taking kindergarten and elementary schoolchildren to
\nthe beach to release baby turtles to the sea the NGO also takes
\nchildren on bird-watching visits to the slopes of nearby Mount
\nMerapi.<\/p>\n
At the end of a program, the children are invited to express
\nthemselves in whatever way they wish about their experience. Some
\nexpress themselves through pictures or drawings, while others
\nwrite poetry or stories.<\/p>\n
Similar activities are also run by Earth Kids, whose motto is:
\nMake the earth a better place in the future, together with
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
In June 2003, for example, they carried out an Earth Club
\npilot project at SD Muhammadiyah Blunyah Gede, in which the
\nelementary schoolchildren were taught about plants, water and
\nenvironmentally friendly attitudes.<\/p>\n
\"The students were told about the importance of clean water,
\nthe color and function of leaves, etc.,\" Fitria, of Earth Kids
\nsaid, adding that the same programs were also being held for
\nthird- and fourth-grade students of state-run SDN Nitikan II
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
Palapsi, similarly, provides environmental education by taking
\nchildren on nature-appreciation trips. Palapsi divides the
\nchildren into groups, each of which is equipped with a camera
\nwith which to take pictures of any interesting natural objects
\nthey encounter.<\/p>\n
By the end of the session, all the pictures are collected to
\nmake a series of stories. This is considered to be the
\nintroductory part of the educational program.<\/p>\n
\"The next step is to build understanding followed by
\napplication in which the participating children are required to
\njoin a care-for-nature competition,\" Nungki Puspitasari of
\nPalapsi said.<\/p>\n
Children participating in such programs mostly show a positive
\nresponse. Many of them even look forward to having the same
\nexperience in nature.<\/p>\n
\"They always wonder when it will be their turn to study
\noutside the classroom. They're waiting in anticipation for such a
\nprecious experience,\" Purwo of SD Bangunrejo I said.<\/p>\n
For children of that age, said Purwo, having the opportunity
\nfor nature study is very exciting. It's mostly because such an
\noccasion makes it possible for learning and play to go along side
\nby side. As a result, learning becomes enjoyable.<\/p>\n
\"By listening and seeing directly for themselves, it will be
\neasier for them to understand the subject matter,\" said Panji of
\nHijau-GPL.<\/p>\n
Yet, according to Fitri of Palapsi, not every elementary
\nschool teacher they met supported the implementation of such
\nactivities in their class.<\/p>\n
\"Many of them agreed on the importance of environmental
\neducation for their students but were not interested in
\nparticipating in the programs we offer,\" said Fitri.<\/p>\n
Purwo also experienced the same thing, saying that he often
\nencountered difficulties in taking students of other classes to
\njoin his outdoor learning activities because their classroom
\nteachers refused to allow them to go.<\/p>\n
\"Teachers who lack creativity have often been an obstacle for
\nsuch a program,\" said Ki Gunawan.<\/p>\n
Some schools, however, have shown full support for such a
\nprogram. The ECCD RC Kindergarten is an example. It even plans to
\nrun the \"Green School\" program offered by Hijau-GPL.<\/p>\n
This is aimed at creating an environmentally friendly school,
\nboth physically and spiritually. Via the program, the students
\nare expected to imitate and implement the environmentally
\nfriendly behavior that they hear of and see at school.<\/p>\n
What the NGOs have been doing in Yogyakarta is small in scale.
\nStill, it deserves appreciation and support from concerned
\ninstitutions, including the Ministry of National Education,
\nespecially at a time when environmental degradation has become a
\nmatter of great concern.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yogyakarta-ngos-help-children-study-nature-1447893297",
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