AVATAR - Teaching Green

“Making nature healthy again is key to our physical and mental wellbeing and is an ally in the fight against climate change and disease outbreaks. It is at the heart of our growth strategy, the European Green Deal, and is part of a European recovery that gives more back to the planet than it takes away.” Ursula fon der Leyen, President of the European Commission

Biodiversity is essential for life. Our planet and economy depend on it. Nature provides businesses with half of the world’s GDP, which means that approximately €40 billion depends on nature. Moreover, biodiversity and ecosystems provide us with food, health and medicine, materials, recreation, and well-being. They filter our air and water, help keep the climate in balance, turn waste back into resources, pollinate and fertilize crops, and much more.
Today, however, we are losing nature like never before due to unsustainable human activities. The key to halting this process is understanding the relationships between biodiversity, our health, and the economy.

“AVATAR – Caring for All Vulnerable Animals Through an Active Relationship with Nature” is an international educational project aimed at raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and supporting teachers and educators in teaching about it. The project brings together five partners from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Spain – educational institutions and zoological gardens.

In response to the alarming loss of biodiversity nowadays, the project provides innovative educational materials for primary schools, fauna recovery centres and zoos. These materials combine modern digital tools and various forms of learning – both in the classroom and outdoors.

What the AVATAR project offers:

AVAgame, a board game where players take part in a hunt for the mystical creature AVATAR, combining financial literacy with environmental awareness.
AVAtrails, a mobile app with educational trails for exploring the biodiversity of selected locations.
AVAworksheets, student worksheets designed to inspire learning about biodiversity.
Educational videos and AVAchallenges, which encourage concrete actions for nature along the year.

The project helps bridge the gap in accessible and high-quality educational resources on biodiversity, enhances children’s motivation and interest in local biodiversity, and strengthens teachers’ competencies in environmental education.

The AVATAR project brings together five partners from three countries, active in the field of environmental and climate education, with experience in research activities, citizen science, and the use of ICT in education — from Slovakia (INAK, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, National Zoo Bojnice), the Czech Republic (Zoopark Chomutov), and Spain (VITA XXI). Their shared goal is to provide teachers with innovative materials for learning about biodiversity, which are currently missing from the educational markets of these countries.

INAK, Slovakia

INAK is an NGO that tries to do things DIFFERENTLY/“INaK“, if possible, „Innovatively and Creatively“. Our organization aims to support and develop innovative approaches, using creative methods in the educational process and whilst working with a variety of target groups – children, youth and adults. Our projects enhance lifelong learning and help to develop learners´ key competences. We try to implement our ideas and bring them into practice through local, national and international projects, usually in strong partnership with a variety of institutions. We focus mainly on the development of didactic materials, projects´ preparation and implementation, the running of educational training, methodical and publication activity, events organization, etc Through our activities, we aim to support environmental and climate education for a sustainable world, outdoor education, civic engagement, professional development of teachers, but especially personal development of children and young people.

More information: www.trochuinak.sk

Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University, Slovakia

Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, FNS CPU in Nitra is focused on pregradual training of teachers of ecology, environmental science and environmental education from its foundation in 1994. Training of teachers is realized via the study program Teacher training studies in academic subjects in combination with ecology in two study levels: bachelor and master degree. The department has also an accredited bachelor’s, master and doctoral degree in the single-subject study program Applied Environmental Studies. In a research area, DEES contributes to the development and application of new methods in the fields of ecology and environmental sciences.

More information: https://www.kee.fpv.ukf.sk/

National Zoological Garden Bojnice, Slovakia

The National Zoological Garden Bojnice was established on January 1, 1955, and opened its gates to the public on April 1 of the same year. It is one of the most visited zoos in Slovakia, with over 400,000 visitors annually. The zoo focuses on the conservation of endangered animal species, actively participating in both ex-situ and in-situ conservation programs at home and abroad, and operates a rehabilitation centre for injured or rescued wild animals.
Education is a key part of the zoo’s mission. Through its Environmental Education Centre (founded in 1979), approximately 40,000 participants — school groups, families, and professionals — take part in educational programs each year.
The main mission of a modern zoological garden is not only to exhibit animals but also to foster responsible attitudes toward nature, preserve biodiversity, and actively protect species that are threatened with extinction in the wild. Zoological gardens around the world today play a crucial role in saving many species. Thanks to breeding programs, several animals — such as the bison, Przewalski’s horse, and Père David’s deer — have been saved from extinction.

More information: https://zoobojnice.sk/

Zoopark Chomutov, Czech Republic

The Chomutov Zoopark is one of the youngest zoological gardens in the Czech Republic — it opened to the public in May 1975. Originally established as a forest park without fences or entrance fees, it gradually expanded and evolved into a modern zoo. Among the first animals that attracted visitors were seals from Lithuania. The zoopark was also the first in the former Czechoslovakia to begin breeding pelicans and cormorants.
Today, it is home to more than 160 animal species and approximately 1,100 individual animals, spread across an extensive area of 112 hectares. The park receives around 250,000 visitors annually. Its focus is primarily on the fauna of the Palearctic region — Europe, most of Asia, and northern Africa. The outdoor enclosures and exhibits are carefully integrated into the natural landscape, with some among the largest of their kind in zoological gardens.
In addition to a classic zoo, the Zoopark offers a unique Eurosafari experience, where visitors can take a Safari Express ride through semi-natural habitats and observe animals in a freer setting. The site also includes the Stará Ves open-air museum, which showcases the traditional lifestyle of past generations.
Since 2000, environmental education has become an important part of the Zoopark’s mission. In the newly built ECO Centre, year-round educational programs and summer camps take place, attended by around 2,000 children each year.

More information: https://zoopark.cz/

VITA XXI, Spain

VITA XXI is a micro consulting firm focused on education for sustainability, training, learning outside the classroom and environmental issues. Since 2007, VITA XXI has been working on European projects, mainly developing educational materials and Online Open educational resources for environmental education in several environmental fields. VITA XXI has also participated in several initiatives like DIF (Disruptive Innovation Festival), and use educational materials to promote the circular economy, cradle to cradle, or biomimicry. VITA XXI believes in project-based learning and learning by doing outdoors on daily basis with the support of technological and digital media, respecting local wisdom and fostering better life for all. VITA XXI currently works on editing the online magazine ‘Profesores Verdes en Español’ (Green Teacher in Spanish), which also has French and English versions, as an educational resource for teachers, highlighting outdoor education, nature education, biodiversity, and other environmental issues relevant to the current times.

More information: https://vitaxxi.com