SEED Schools Environmental Education and Development

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Glen Tyler glentyler_at_gmail.com 0177/9356289
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Background

• Pilot project in Bongalethu Primary in 1998 as a
  partnership between South African and New Zealand
  organisations.
• Successful trial.
• Begins as sub-project of Abalimi Bezekhaya in
  2001, working from their offices in Observatory
  and a desk space in Khayelitsha.

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Programmes

• Sustainable Schools Program
• SEED 5-day Training
• SEED Academy
• Other Projects
• Materials development
• Learnership Program
• Developing a Teacher Movement

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Sustainable Schools Program

• SEEDs flagship program
• Three Year program
• To train teachers to use the outdoor classroom
  and environmental eduation as a tool to deliver
  the National Curriculum Statement.
• Other outcomes include various Permaculture (a
  design system which aims to create sustainable
  habitats by following nature's patterns.) systems
  being implemented at the schools (including food
  gardens, water harvesting, medicinal gardens,
  outdoor classrooms, food forests, etc).
• A facilitator visits the school for one day every
  week during the school term. The school is also
  encouraged to work in the garden and use
  environmental education through out the school
  week.
• The SSP has three phases Nursery, Intermediate
  and Advanced.

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Nursery Phase

• The First phase/year of the SSP
• Schools (teachers and principals) attend a week
  long Permaculture course (The SEED 5-day
  training) which introduces the teachers to
  Permaculture and Environmental Education.
• Schools are chosen from this course to work with
  SEED in the SSP.
• The concepts of Environmental Education are
  taught to the teachers through workshops held
  twice a term by a SEED education champion.
• The SEED Nursery Phase facilitator begins with
  phyical system implementation and Environmental
  Education training for the teachers.

• Systems implemented in the Garden to encourage
  sustainablity of the garden (mulch banks and
  compost systems).
• Environmental Education is taught through the
  teaching of demonstration lessons.

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Intermediate Phase

• The second phase/year of the SSP
• By the end of the Nursery Phase, the basic
  Permaculture Systems are established. Pioneer
  tree species have taken and mulch and compost
  sytems are used to improve the quality of the
  soil.
• Vegetables are now able to be planted
• Teachers still attend Environmental Education
  workshops, and the Intermediate Phase facilitator
  continues the teaching of Environmental Education
  lessons and their linking to the curriculum,
  demonstrating to teachers that this supports
  their work.
• The first entrepreneurial workshop is taught
  towards the end of the year and schools are
  therefore able to start thinking of their
  entrepreneurial systems and their Environmental
  Education projects sustainablitty after SEED has
  left.

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Advanced Phase

• The Third and last phase/year of the SSP
• The gardens are producing vegetables and
  perennial systems (food forests, medicinal
  gardens, water harvesting) are in place and
  functioning.
• The Advanced phase facilitator focuses almost
  exclusively on the entrepreneurial project and
  ensuring the Environmental Education programs
  sustainability beyond SEEDs withdrawal.

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SEED Academy

• Held every term for schools other than those in
  the SSP
• Based on an Environmental Education theme,
  focused around the implementation of a season
  appropriate Permaculture project.
• Involves three workshops, a demonstration lesson
  and implementation.
• This is then followed up by the implementation of
  the appropriate system at each of the teachers
  schools with the help of SEED staff once the
  teachers have taught the appropriate lesson.

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Other Projects

• Materials Development
• Two text books to date
• Learnership Program
• Training of Staff and other learners
• Developing a Teachers Movement
• Schools Environmental Teachers Association
• Partnerships
• Bauwagen
• CTI training
• Youth Environmental Schools Program

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Current Position

• Offices in Woodstock and Philippi
• 6 Staff members

• 9 Schools in SSP
• National Program beginning soon