Education

The BSP is a regional programme within the UNESCO Associated Schools network.

The objectives in the BSP are to

• increase the awareness of the students about the environmental
  problems in the Baltic Sea Region and give them an understanding of the
  scientific, social and cultural aspects of the interdependence between
  man and nature
• develop the abilities of the students to study changes in the environment
• encourage students to participate in developing a sustainable future

The BSP works with the following means:

• building networks of schools, teachers and educational institutions in the Baltic Sea Region
• creating and developing educational approaches and joint programmes for environmental, international and sustainable development education
• organising joint activities and events and publishing the BSP Newsletter and other relevant information

The Basic characteristics of BSP schools are

• active participation in looking for solutions to the environmental problems in the Baltic Sea Region
• networking
• pilot function in promoting environmental education in the spirit of the Rio Declaration for responsible and sustainable development - Agenda 21 and Baltic 21.

The educational approach for the BSP is to

• achieve a balance between a holistic view and individual subject studies
• change the role of the student from passive recipient to active constructor
• change the role of the teacher from supervisor to guide in a learning process
• use networks to provide participants with opportunities to learn and pass along new ideas
• use international co-operation as an inherent element of school work

Indienhilfe was founded in 1980 as a non-profit association located at Herrschingen (Germany). Since 1998 it has been included in the list of recommended charities of the German institute for social affairs (DZI).

The organization's targets are to tackle poverty in India through different projects, to promote fair trade, to establish partnerships between German and Indian communities and schools as well as to promote education and global learning. Indienhilfe offers:

• a one-world media center which provides books, topic lists, slides, movies, teaching materials about India and many other countries, as well as about global learning, world religions, the Agenda 21 and fair trade (consultation and rental service at arranged times);
• consultation and assistance to organize projects in schools and kindergartens;
• search for partner schools in West Bengal and assistance in the relations between German and Bengalese partners. At the moment four Bavarian schools are cooperating with Indian ones, helped by the Indienhilfe team in Germany and an Indian team in Calcutta, who try to solve their problems of mutual understanding so that they can meet each other's expectations and communicate successfully;
• help in the organization of travel to West Bengal. Meetings with Bengalese counterparts are very important for maintaining successful partnerships. Indienhilfe can assist interested schools on the basis of its extensive experience in managing group travels as well as the necessary preparations.

With these initiatives, Indienhilfe aims at making people aware of different local and global realities and making them feel closer to distant communities. A further objective is to promote a greater sense of responsibility for social matters and to promote solidarity. Opening up our minds, meeting people from other countries and establishing relations with them are preconditions for the mutual understanding between different cultures, for eliminating prejudices and reflecting on our own lifestyle.