Working for an environmentally friendly education in the Technical-Artisan Training Centres in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia

How do we promote youth leadership in the environmental field? How do we support ecological entrepreneurship by students? How do we promote the attitude necessary for young people, future professionals in technical sectors, to adopt more environmentally friendly work practices? These are just some of the questions addressed during the second regional meeting of the "Green Consciousness, Resilience and Sustainability in the Andean Region" programme, which took place from 18 to 22 November in the city of Piura, Peru.

 This space, developed as part of the cooperation with the Belgian Salesian NGO VIA Don Bosco, brought together the teachers of the Salesian Technical-Artisan Training Centres from Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, the representatives of the respective Provincial Planning and Development Offices and those of VIA Don Bosco. This is a pioneering programme in the region, as it aims to train young people as future citizens aware of the environmental cause and to promote the creation of networks between the Provinces.

 The program foresees that by 2026, the young students from the three Salesian Artisan Technical Training Centres, the St Patrick's School Workshops (TESPA, in Spanish) in Quito, Ecuador;  the Bosconia Technical Education Centre (CETPRO Bosconia) in Piura, Peru; and the Mary Help of Christians Alternative Education Centre (CEA María Auxiliadora) in Colcapirhua, Bolivia, have become not only experts in their respective fields, but also agents of change who adopt good environmental and sustainability practices in their work and daily lives.

 During the meeting, the participants shared, reflected and evaluated the progress made in the first three years of collaboration. The dialogue focused, among other things, on the implementation of guidelines, policies and study programmes with an environmental approach, on the measurement of the carbon footprint released by the participating institutions, and on sustainable procurement processes.

 Similarly, best practices were exchanged and the first fruits of the actions that each centre and Planning and Development Office carried out in the three Provinces were shared. Some areas of the Piura area where environmental damage is already visible were also visited. In addition, by sharing experiences and exchanging opinions with a view to strategic alliances, the participants were also able to learn about the interesting initiative of the volunteer programme of the University of Piura.

 "In conclusion, we have drawn up a common agenda for 2025 that includes various activities to strengthen the regional network and the consolidation of strategic alliances to spread and multiply the impact of the programme", reports the programme monitoring team, composed of technicians from the Planning and Development Offices of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and the project managers of VIA Don Bosco.