“Adults are not the only ones taking steps to protect nature; we as students are doing our part"
How 5th–grade students from Shchuchinsk introduced new eco-habits at their school and motivated their peers to respect natural resources
From 2020–2021, UNICEF and the NGO ‘Community of Youth Workers’ jointly participated in the SAMGAU programme to develop social entrepreneurship among adolescents and youth (SAMGAU). This accelerator programme develops youth skills and supports youth initiatives.
SAMGAU teaches young adults and teens to investigate and understand the problems in their community and create effective solutions.
SAMGAU includes an online life skills course and an online social innovation workshop, after which course graduates create their own projects. In this special three-month programme, mentors also assist teenage participants.
School students from Shchuchinsk took part in this programme. Fifth–grade students of School #2 – Yaroslav, Kseniya, Timur, Roman, and Darina – formed a team to create an eco-project useful to the school and their peers.
Yaroslav Martemyanov led the group, stating that he has always been concerned about problems caused by our attitude towards natural resources.
"Watching TV programmes about drying rivers and lakes causing people to suffer from water shortages has always impacted me," says Yaroslav
Yaroslav is concerned about the planet’s future and has long wanted to do "something to help preserve the Earth's water resources." When Koblandy Baytileuov, his teacher and mentor, invited him to participate in a conservation and ecology project, Yaroslav agreed without hesitation.
The team formed, in part, thanks to the training course they took on the SAMGAU platform. While still in the course, classmates began to gather in interest groups.
"Our team has been together for a long time. We participate in various competitions and contests together," says Yaroslav.
Their teacher helped the students brainstorm ideas when choosing a project topic. Everyone proposed a different topic and advocated for why their project was the best. Eventually, the group chose Yaroslav's idea of installing devices that monitored drinking water supplies, deeming it the most interesting and useful from a practical perspective.
"The idea of installing a device that monitors drinking water supply has been on my mind for a long time. I have this vision in front of me of students approaching the water fountain to get a drink, turning on the faucet, and then getting distracted by their friends. Meanwhile, the water goes on and on. How much water is leaking out for nothing? So when my teacher suggested that we participate in the project and told us what we would be doing, the idea just popped into my head: 'I'll make sure that water doesn't just flow away," says Yaroslav.
At the general project participant meeting, someone recalled a television programme where they showed automatic devices activated by sensors. Such sensors can also be placed on school drinking fountains, so the team actively started working on this.
"Yaroslav's team immediately proved to be very advanced and motivated. I spoke with the team individually and asked them to think about the realistic nature of their individual proposals. ‘What can we do, not in the future, right now?’ After that, the team focused on the school's water fountains. It is a very promising idea, as there are lots of such fountains in schools and other institutions," says team mentor Koblandy Baitileuov.
Kseniya Terets suggested installing similar devices on the school's sinks and washbasins. Timur Sungatov suggested utilizing them in garden irrigation. After heated discussions, all participants voted on moving forward with the school fountain idea. Then, if the idea yielded positive results, introducing the sensors to the other suggested areas.
Roman Solozhonkin searched for the water-sensing devices online and found them easily available for purchase.
“I think if we can get a grant, we can install at least one automatic water fountain sensor," the student said.
Darina Pirieva suggested that her father could help install the sensor.
"Whether or not we can make our idea a reality, participating in the project has taught us a lot. We realized that saving nature is our responsibility. Each of us, even a middle school student, has something to offer. And, most importantly, we have support. Adults are not the only ones taking steps to protect nature, but school students can do their part as well."
The students’ efforts already yielded results. Yaroslav's team won a small grant from SAMGAU to implement their idea. The students have already received the grant and started working on their project.
