The Governing Council of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has approved this Monday to tender the Environmental Education and Heritage Interpretation Program Service: Educational Trails, with a budget of close to 250,000 euros, a decision that marks the beginning of a new phase in the educational and environmental management of the Island.
The new contract will allow the number of participating students to increase from 4,000 to 9,000, expanding the scope of the program promoted by the Environment Area to students from Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary, and High School, thus reinforcing its integration as a complementary activity within formal education.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has stressed that this initiative responds to a long-term vision. "Our objective is to move towards a true educational and environmental management project that contributes to transforming the socio-environmental reality of Lanzarote, with planning, coherence, and a common strategy".
For the Minister of Environment, Samuel Martín, it is fundamental to adapt the program to new educational and social challenges. "The experience accumulated over more than two decades and the evolution of environmental education approaches compel us to take a further step, renewing lines of action with more dynamic, participatory proposals committed to real results," Martín details.
From their origin, with the pioneering path of the Corona Volcano, to their current consolidation as a network of nearly twenty trails distributed throughout the island territory, the Educational Trails have become true open-air classrooms and key settings for raising public environmental awareness.
Sustainability Culture
The Educational Trails program aims to raise students' awareness of the value of the natural and cultural heritage of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, promoting attitudes of care and respect towards the environment. Furthermore, it seeks to develop practical skills and knowledge applicable to sustainability, encouraging the active participation of the educational community and citizens.
At the same time, this program is conceived as a fundamental tool for the **construction of a culture of sustainability**, understanding education as a continuous process that must translate into meaningful learning and tangible practices.In this regard, councilor Samuel Martín states that "we want the trails to continue to be spaces for observing, understanding, and valuing our natural, social, and cultural environment, but also places where responsible and sustainable behavior models are encouraged."
The tender for this service will allow for the reinforcement of planning, coordination, and pedagogical quality, updating content and methodologies to respond to the growing demand from educational centers and an increasingly competence-based curriculum oriented towards education for sustainable development.
