#INSPIRE Education for Balanced Development: Creating an Inclusive and Ecology Educational Environment
On September 8, the educational conference “Education for Balanced Development” took place in Ivano-Frankivsk, organized as part of the project “INSPIRE — Inclusive and Developmental Spaces for Progressive, Innovative, and Adaptive Education,” implemented within the Interreg NEXT Romania–Ukraine 2021–2027 program.
The participants were greeted by Ruslan Martsinkiv, Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk; Ihor Popadiuk, Director of the Department of Investment Policy, Projects, International Relations, Tourism, and City Promotion of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council; and Yulia Haiduk, an expert at the Interreg NEXT Romania–Ukraine 2021–2027 program’s branch office.
At the start of the conference, participants were presented with the results of the project’s implementation in Ivano-Frankivsk and Botoșani.
A separate session was dedicated to the activities of the City Children’s Ecological Station. Director Halyna Hlushko spoke about the institution’s work, while Maria Hronska, a methodologist in the biology department, presented the activities of the groups and practices in environmental education for children and youth. Gabriela Apetria, director of the “Ion Pillat” Special Vocational School in Dorohoi, shared her experience by presenting the activities of the educational institution in Romania.
The first panel discussion was focused on the topic “Inclusive environmental education: collaboration between teachers, psychologists, and the community to create an accessible educational environment.”
Participants discussed:
- inclusive approaches in ecological education;
- the role of educators and psychologists in creating a safe and accessible environment;
- practices for working with children with diverse educational needs;
- the importance of collaboration among educational institutions, the community, and specialists.
The second panel discussion “Urban green infrastructure as a space for education, development, and community engagement” — focused on how city green spaces can become fully-fledged spaces for learning and development.
Discussions focused on integrating environmental education into the urban environment, utilizing green spaces in the learning process, and creating nature-oriented educational sites.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Executive Committee of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or of the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania-Ukraine Programme 2021- 2027 management structures.
