Last Tuesday, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) was awarded 1st place in the E-Environment Category as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) for the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme’s #YREstayshome challenge.
The #YREstayshome challenge was run in 2020 during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, being recognized as a winner in the E-Environment Category is a source of great pride for FEE and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme as well.
The #YREstayshome’s Contribution to WSIS Action Point
The award delivered by the WSIS demonstrates the #YREstayshome challenge’s contribution to WSIS’s action points and recognises FEE as an actor in the implementation of WSIS strategy.
The E-Environment Category is part of the 7th WSIS’s action point “Information and Communications Technology (ICT) applications: benefits in all aspects of life.” The #YREstayshome challenge also meets the 4th WSIS’s action point of “Capacity building.”
Implementing the SDGs through FEE and the YRE Programme
The WSIS is fully committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to be selected as a champion and winner, a project must meet one or more of the SDGs. The #YREstayshome challenge was implemented through the YRE programme and thereby contributes to Goal 4: Quality Education. This goal aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Indeed, the #YREstayshome challenge engaged students in countries around the world and while the world has begun to slowly recover from the pandemic, students are still experiencing the impacts of Covid-19. Activities such as the #YREstayshome challenge remain relevant for young people wanting to use their voice to raise awareness of environmental issues in their local communities, despite the other challenges that may exist.
Many thanks to the students, teachers, and global community that have supported FEE and the YRE programme, especially over the past two years!