An important environmental education program with national impact has been transforming the teaching about water resources in Argentina for years.
This is the WET Project, a water education program supported by UNESCO and implemented in the country by the Association of Friends of Patagonia (AAP).
Since 2004, the initiative has trained 62,797 students, teachers, and community members in five provinces, reaching 197 schools across the country.
What is the WET Project for environmental education
The methodology of the project supported by AAP and the International Hydrological Program is based on playful and participatory activities with society.
These activities aim to facilitate the understanding of environmental issues related to water to educate about it.
In 2014, the Ministry of Education of Argentina declared the program of educational interest.
This official recognition allowed the program to consolidate its presence in institutions throughout the country through a specific toolkit for educators.
The Association of Friends of Patagonia acts as the official representative of UNESCO’s international program.
Thus, the general objective of the WET Project is the training of educators.
This aims to generate a change in awareness from childhood and at all ages regarding the sustainable use of water.
The program aims to strengthen the spirit, awareness, and knowledge about the region’s water resources.
It also promotes their proper management in local communities.
The training is aimed at both formal and informal educators.
This includes school teachers and facilitators from community centers.
Objectives of the WET Project for environmental education
The WET Project establishes specific objectives for water environmental education:
- Promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and care of the resource through the development of didactic proposals for formal and informal educators.
- Enhance knowledge about water and appropriate ways for its integrated management through a strategy of continuous education.
- Understand the functioning of the water cycle as a basis to support actions that allow the management and preservation of water resources.
- Recognize the importance of water, its availability, demand, and its relationship with other natural resources.
- Experiment with the ways in which water is used and utilized.
- Promote positive attitudes to prevent the deterioration of the resource and the environment, as well as mitigate the negative impact of extreme hydrometeorological phenomena affecting communities.
Additionally, the didactic proposal of the WET Project is playful and participatory.
It aims to spark interest through play and dynamism in students and teachers.
The program provides information on the scientific principles that underlie water resources on the planet.
It also specifies the situation of the resource in Argentina and the need for its comprehensive management.
Three fundamental thematic axes of the WET Project
The educational content is organized into three main thematic axes that structure the teaching about water.
“Recognizing Water“, which focuses on the properties of water and the processes of the hydrological cycle.
This addresses the relationships between the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and water as a natural resource.
The name is due to the fact that people must “re-cognize” the resource in the first instance.
“Water, Life, and Health“, which raises awareness about the value of water as a vital element.
It includes the maintenance of ecosystems, biodiversity, food security, and health.
It also addresses the uses of water in the present and past, as well as its aesthetic, cultural, and recreational value.
Finally, “Water Management” highlights the importance of management as a participatory process.
This aspect requires social commitment to address normal and extraordinary situations in specific basins or water regions.
Here, both the physical and socio-cultural aspects are considered.
Achievements of the WET Project for environmental education
The WET Project has achieved significant results in its trajectory in Argentina.
From 2004 to the present, it has trained 62,797 people including students, teachers,
