Green Club

In Bangladesh Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO is implementing the Green Youth Citizens project. In the project one of the goals is to introduce a best practice in the local community by involving the youth and ESDO has introduced Green Club as the best practice to bring change in the community. ESDO has been working with young citizens since 1995 through Environment and Conservation Nature Club (ECNC), that idea was elaborated into Green Club, which we formed in different educational institutions of Bangladesh with the aim to engage students actively in the environmental movement.

To ensure the sustainability of this educational program ESDO created 93 Green Clubs at participating schools in 64 districts; where students build alliances and advocate for environmental awareness amongst their peers.

Over 1000 members have interests in all aspects of the natural world, from birding to botanizing, investigation to publication, conservation to cooperation. We hope you’ll find something here to suit your interests.

Objectives of Green Club

• To promote interest and knowledge about wildlife, forests and the   environment around us
• To foster concern to protect the flora and fauna and undisturbed examples of Bangladesh’s natural heritage
• To increase awareness of the economic, cultural, scientific and aesthetic values of fauna and flora
• To provide opportunities to acquire attitudes, values, and skills needed to protect and improve the natural environment
• To promote the appreciation, preservation, and conservation of Bangladeshi natural heritage.
• To encourage investigation, publish the results of research in all fields of natural history, and diffuse the information as widely as possible.

• To support and cooperate with organizations engaged in preserving, maintaining or restoring environments of high quality for living things
• In the interest, Green Club Members and the local citizens in the array of plants, animals, and other natural resources some lake areas and to promote their wise use and conservation.
• To assist in the conservation and protection of scenic areas and wildlife havens to preserve the diverse biotic resources of lakes, rivers, forests, hills, and surrounding areas.

Initiatives of ESDO

• Develop knowledge and capacity of the school children on environmental issues with a view to developing second-generation leaders in environmental conservation and protection
• Develop general awareness about rights, services provided, service delivery mechanisms, activities of the various environmental protection and facilitate organizations
• To encourage young people to take up conservation and related activities as a worthwhile and respectable career
• Develop space and opportunities for the school children play a critical role in the conservation and protection of the environment

Outcomes
Youth in Action: Green Youth Citizens project aims to introduce a best practice in the partner countries and the Environment and Social Development Organization has implemented the Green Club as the best practice. The inception workshop is a starting point for the project where young leaders are involved in the environmental movement. ESDO has worked with young citizens for a long time and continuing tradition that it has restarted the Green Club initiative. After the end of this one year project, there was also a marked difference in the attitudes of the parents and teachers. In the beginning, they attended the meeting because they were invited, but not too many were enthusiastic about their children being part of ECNC and many thought it was a waste of time. However, by the end, they were happy about what their children achieved as individual learners and about ESDO’s commitment. Many parents were taking an interest in what their children were learning, and helping them with their projects and presentations. As ESDO found the specific outcomes are:

• Second-generation leaders (400 in number) who are more aware and informed about environmental issues;
• Target group (the 400 students) has been enhanced their knowledge on nature, environment, various environmental problems, ways, and means to address them, etc.;
• Now they are (students) capable and confident to identify urgent and critical environmental problems;
• Understanding and awareness about environmental conservation has increased in a significant manner amongst the students as well as in their parents and teachers;
• 8 Green Clubs have formed at the 4 school level to integrate the other students in the environmental movement (a pressure group for policy intervention, lobbying and awareness campaigning);

Now the school authority is being encouraged in adopting the course in their own curriculum;