Norwegian students in Slovakia – reciprocal bilateral activity within the SK-Climate Programme
After the successful implementation of two study tours for selected Slovak elementary and secondary schools in Norway titled as "Norway Educlima Study Tour" in May of this year we had a reciprocal activity. The Operator of the Programme „Climate change mitigation and adaptation“(hereinafter also as “Programme SK-Climate“) in cooperation with the Donor Program Partners in October 18-20, 2023, organized a mutual bilateral study trip for Norwegian students in Slovakia.
The aim of the bilateral activity followed the established partnerships and friendships in Norway, and could be considered as a further support to enhance sustainable bilateral relations between Slovak elementary and secondary schools and nominated schools from Norway. The presentation of realized outputs of projects within the SK-Climate Programme was focused on the agenda of the climate change mitigation and adaptation.
On the first day of the study trip, the Programme Operator of the SK-Climate Programme accompanied the Norwegian delegation to one of the selected schools in Šurany. The Gymnasium (Secondary School) implements project No.: ACC03P28. The project is a part of the Call for a Small Grant Scheme, funded by Norwegian grants and the state budget of the Slovak Republic, the aim is to raise pupils' awareness of mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the form of theoretical teaching and the implementation of concrete tough measures in school premises. The principal and the students of the secondary school traditionally welcomed their friends from Norway with bread and salt, symbolically, as an expression of hospitality, friendship and respect.
The representatives of the school management talked about the implemented activities in the school premises and in the school campus as part of the Call ACC03, then the students exchanged information about the implemented activities in the field of climate change from the SKI Schule /Gymnasium in Norway.
After the "school project“, we visited the so-called "municipality project", implemented by the city of Šaľa within the Call ACC02. Within the project of the town of Šaľa No.: ACC02P06, the participants were informed about the measures of urban development, which foster climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This was followed by a visit to the Information Centre for wetlands, as a part of the ACC04P03 project titled as "Let's save wetlands together" in Trnava. The recipient “Water for the climate/Voda pre klímu - environmental technologies”, implements the project - with the participation of the Norwegian partner "Norwegian University of Life Science". The participants had the opportunity to see practical demonstrations of the awareness campaign and education about the importance of measures to restore wetlands in the light of climate change - 3D models of wetlands.
The second day of the study trip was once again marked by cooperation between the schools. The Norwegian students, was accompanied by the Operator of the SK-Climate Programme and Donor Program Partners, and visited the implemented project ACC03P25. The project promoter: United School Tilgnerova Bratislava in its premises informed the participants about the implemented soft and hard measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the school and the school grounds.
This was followed by a visit to projects aimed at restoring degraded wetland ecosystems within the Call ACC04. The participants had the opportunity to see the implemented measures for the restoration of wetlands and their monitoring as part of the projects ACC04P01 and ACC04P02. The first project is titled „Wetlands for life and prosperity: Restoration of the Ramsar site in the alluvium of the Morava River", the project promoter is a “Green Foundation”, foundation, with the participation of the Norwegian partner "NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research". The second project called "Ecohydrological restoration of peatlands in the Carpathians", where the project promoter is State Nature Protection of the Slovak Republic, with the participation of the same Norwegian partner "NINA”.
We remain convinced that study trips organized from the Bilateral Fund within the SK-Climate Programme contribute to the development and support of the sustainable bilateral partnerships between Slovak and Norwegian institutions in the field of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. We agreed that our projects are as inspiring to them as their overall approach to the Green Agenda is inspiring to us.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A GREEN EUROPE!