Student Action Program in Afghanistan
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In Bamyan, Afghanistan students from Bamyan University have been helping address environmental issues in their community related to tourism while learning important skills in teamwork, communication, and citizenship. Since 2015, Sustainable Smiles has been training university lecturers from the Department of Tourism at Bamyan University on how to guide students in community service learning. With the support of Seedlings of Change, four groups of 15 students each year receive a small budget of 200 USD to select an issue in their community, research the problem, and design an action plan to implement together with members of the community. This program has been very successful in enhancing the traditional academic curriculum and providing students with practical skills needed to work within the tourism sector in Afghanistan. The pedagogy has also proved beneficial in building greater mutual respect between teachers, students, and members of the community. We are excited to share the curriculum published by the United Nations Environment Programme in Afghanistan. For more information contact Kelly Franklin at sustainablesmiles@gmail.com
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(Above) pictures of activities facilitated with the 3rd year students in the Environmental Impact Assessment course. Their background on environmental issues is very strong and we are excited to involve them in this program.
Sustainable Smiles in collaboration with Bamyan University and supported by Seedlings of Change is getting ready to start the Student Action Program (SAP) in August for two groups of students from the Department of Tourism. The SAP empowers students to design their own environmental service project in their local community and develop exceptional leadership, stewardship, and post-graduate employment skills. Through this program we hope to advance innovation in teaching, learning, and action within Bamyan University school system based on the local context and cultures through engagement with the local community. At the end of this month we will have an initial information meeting with the teachers and Chancellor of the University to discuss the planning process and capacity building strategy for the teachers to deliver the curriculum.