IWRA Proceedings

INTRODUCTION

The project generates a training program of good environmental practices for adults on its work area, with participation of the Environmental Educators Network (REA by its Spanish acronym) and DCH-AGUAKAN as pilot company.
Developed based on a Participatory Action Research approach including:

• Needs of company
• Environmental knowledge of collaborators
• Citizen perceptions
• Observation and analysis by REA

Problem Statement:

The Environmental Education (EA, by its Spanish acronym) should be focused not only on the educational processes of children, but also include adults, who make the economic, political, cultural and educational decisions, creating the need to contribute to the environment, by building a society viable for future generations.

The DHC-AGUAKAN environmental training program for collaborators is intended to generate information through the environmental knowledge of collaborators themselves and the Environmental Educators Network, by developing new life experiences projecting individual, family, business and social changes.

METHODOLOGY

A constructivist methodology and qualitative approach will be used for the work, which is based on an interpretive perspective, since the designing of a multi-participatory strategy of EA for conservation of local natural resources for DHC-AGUAKAN is very specific.
Working techniques:

• Interviews with managers to know the educational and environmental needs.
• Observations by the REA (trainers).
• Evaluation of experiences.
• Feedback and reformulation

RESULTS

• The interviews made to managers were analyzed by the trainers (REA) on the pilot group.
• The results obtained from a survey of 100 clients, reflecting that they have no impact on the creation of the educational proposal.
• The survey of the participants demonstrates their knowledge and interests that show their knowledge on water issues.
• Talking about other environmental subjects, their experiences are perceived, giving them the guidelines to give opinions with certainty and listen to the others in order to generate new knowledge.
• The experiences of the pilot workshop were analyzed

With the above, the initial training proposal of EA for adults was developed, to be implemented in several companies.

IMPLICATIONS

Participation of the company to be trained is required in order to conduct the project.
Keep the trainers (REA) trained, in a state of observation and disposition.

POLICY

The National Water Law contemplates a chapter on water culture and mandates to promote it according to the reality of the country and its hydrology.

The National Development Plan, in its Axis 4 "Environmental Sustainability", proposes the strategy of encouraging a water culture that favors water saving and rational use.

For the above, the National Water Program establishes the Objective 5 "To consolidate the participation of users and organized society in the management of water by promoting its good use".

DHC-AGUAKAN considers the above by translating its educational-environmental management into a set of activities, means and techniques including training and financial human resources in the application of new technologies, to conserve ecosystems, and ecological relationships between them, according to the same service nature and its relation to the resource with which it is worked, including adults in the environmental knowledge of the various environmental subjects.