Emater mobilizes public school students in environmental education actions aimed at COP30
Initiative encourages youth leadership in discussions about the environment and public policies
From August to October of this year, the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Pará (Emater) mobilized around 500 students from the state public school system in the Metropolitan Region of Belém in lectures and discussion circles on sustainability, environmental preservation, and public policies. The initiative is part of the project "Towards COP30 – Public Policies for Sustainable Development and Environmental Preservation in the Amazon Region" and aims to engage youth, especially those living in peripheral areas, in the leadership of the agendas of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), which will take place in November.
Agronomist and project creator, Jader Moura, a master in Agricultural Sciences and specialist in Agribusiness, Vocational Education, and Public Management, explains that the methodology seeks to translate environmental concepts into everyday practices. "Environmental Education provides clear, accessible, and interesting information to these students about a reality that often seems distant. But the environment is in our daily lives: in industry, in consumer society, in household waste management, in the conditions of the streets, in the greening of cities. Everything is interconnected," he emphasizes.
The actions have already reached five elementary and high schools, with support from the State Department of Education (Seduc). The most recent activity took place on October 16, at the State School of Elementary and Secondary Education (EEFM) Temístocles de Araújo, in the Marambaia neighborhood, focusing on food production and sustainability.
For Pamela Santos, a 2nd-year high school student at the institution, the initiative was transformative. "I learned not only about preservation but also about justice, equity, and security. This made me think about taking care of the environment so that it returns to me later. In other words, if I take care of nature, I will have health and quality of life. It was an excellent lecture," she reported.
The geography teacher at the educational unit, Wylderson Ferreira, also highlighted the relevance of the action. "We have already worked on these themes at school, but contact with professionals from other areas broadens the students' perspective. The debate reinforced the relationship between man, society, and nature and was very beneficial," he stated.
