RCE NETWORK

Last updated: August 15, 2023

RCE Czechia

Photo Credit:

Rce details

Region:

EUROPE

Country:

Czech Republic

Overview

Date of RCE acknowledgement:

April, 2017

Description of RCE and Geographic Region:

RCE Czechia is devoted to exploration, testing and realisation of ESD programs in the Czech Republic. In a country with a long, dominant tradition of environmental education, the ESD concept is still lacking real meaning and political support in the Czech context. Themes of work in progress include: competences for sustainable rural entrepreneurship, sustainable consumption, participative dialogue – involvement of key actors, arts and sustainability, sustainable regional development and open education resources for ESD.

The region covered by the RCE is the whole Czech Republic. This has been justified by the long-lasting effort to build national networks in ESD with partners from different parts of the Czech Republic. Many of the partners have their own networks of cooperation, ensuring a comprehensive network reaching out through RCE partner networks to cover the whole region.

Goals and Objectives:

The RCE’s goal is to stimulate the development of an ESD framework in which practical programs exist or will be developed according to extant methodological principles. To this end, it develops programs that go beyond environmental literacy, tests them and delivers to practice as methodologies. To support these programs and achieve national impact, it is involved in political ESD-related debates.

The objective is to involve all actors that can contribute to this goal, initiate national debate, and communicate with teachers from practice that realise the programs. Formative reflection on the processes and results is an important tool for improvement.

Organisation Hosting RCE Secretariat:

Charles University Environment Centre

Key Partners:

Charles University, Pedagogical Faculty, Department of Biology and Environmental Studies
UN Information Centre Prague
Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Masaryk University
Faculty of Economics, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Faculty of Education, University of J. E. Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem
The Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University, Olomouc
SEVER – The Rýchory Centre of Environmental Education and Ethics (Environmental education centre (NGO) – with network of schools)
TEREZA association (Environmental education association (NGO) – with network of schools)
The Varianty Educational Program of People in Need (Global education association (NGO) – with network of schools)
Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague
Lifelong learning NGO (Životní Vzdělávání, z.s.) (Education NGO – with network of schools)
Edunika, z.s. (Education NGO)
Society for Sustainable Living (SSL) (NGO with regional branches in CR and Slovak Republic)
Schola Humanitas - secondary school for environmental protection and restoration
Association for Creativity in Education (Education NGO – with network of schools)
Small businesses from South Bohemia - 5 small businesses
Svazek obcí Dolního Pootaví (Municipality – association of small settlements)

Photo credit: RCE Czechia

Activities

Current Activities:

Preparing a methodology for education for sustainable consumption (pre-school, primary and secondary levels) in discussion with partners
Developing the open education resources for education for sustainable consumption– see here

Photo credit: Společnost pro trvale udržitelný život

Upcoming Activities:

Achievements:

We wrote a joint project for sustainable regional development, in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and the National Network of Local Action Groups. The project was submitted to the national agency for applied research in June, 2018. If the project is successful a rich diversity of partners will be supported including schools, green businesses and NGOs.
Annual General Meeting of RCE Czechia members and members of the Advisory Board was held on Wednesday 23^rd May 2018, from 10 am to 3 pm (more information available here).
We have developed the joint project on sustainable consumption which received support from the national agency for applied research. The project was launched on February 1^st, 2018. Project partners include Tereza Association and Faculty of Education, University of J. E. Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem.
The book “Sustainable rural entrepreneurship – inspiration for education” was published and introduced at relevant fora (e.g. the Government Council for Sustainable Development of the Czech Government, ESD Committee)
We have been involved in, and contributed to, the regular member activities (e.g. Society for Sustainable Living debates, see https://stuz.cz/)
Regularly we took part in policy debates, within the NGO Platform for SD, in the Government Council for Sustainable Development CR, its ESD committee etc.