Developing Environmental and Conservation Education Projects between Dwight School London and Nepalese School Children.

By offering opportunities for students to be actively involved in creative learning activities relating to environmental sustainability projects, learners become global citizens.
Dwight School London has built a partnership with schools in Nepal to collectively enhance academic achievement and develop greater awareness amongst its learners in issues relating to environmental education and wildlife conservation.

With this goal in mind, the collaborating schools have initiated a sustainable project which will help rebuild the forests that Nepal is losing due to extreme deforestation. The trees will be planted in a region that will be recognised as the 'Dwight Schools Conservation Area'. 

Students of both countries have embarked on a unique Tree Twinning Project where each tree planted in London is reciprocated, by planting another in Nepal by Nepalese Students. Dwight School London has been privileged to receive the support from the Barnet Council which, through its environment directorate, allocated a specific area of planting trees in Barnet (Friern Barnet Open Space area near the retail Park). The trees planted in Nepal will be planted in a region that will be recognised as the 'Dwight Schools Conservation Area'. 

As a result of twinning a 1000 trees within a year,  the project was recognised with several accolades in 2021, for its unique attempts to tangibly support climate change. In May 2021 the Mayor of Barnet awarded the school the ‘Mayor's Innovation’ certificate. In September 2021 the Woodland Trust UK awarded the school a Gold Plaque for its tree planting efforts. Then in November the project became an ISA recognised finalist for outstanding International Involvement.

To strengthen the schools’ sustainable environmental collaboration, Dwight London students have (prior to the Covid pandemic) travelled to Nepal and students from our partner Nepalese schools have visited us on London. During the visit by our Nepalese partners they fulfilled an objective to tackle climate change and air quality in London by building a vertical eco-garden in our playground. Our CAS students who travelled to Nepal painted a collage on the walls of Nepal’s only zoo in Kathmandu as a testament of our partnership. Dwight School London hope to have reciprocal visits in the future once the pandemic is over. 

Each year students, teachers, staff, and parents go out and about in the local community to deliver small acts of kindness towards others and our environment, showing the school’s commitment to service as action.

The activities took place at a range of locations across London and included:

• A Beach clean up in Clacton-on-Sea
• Baking and delivering cakes and biscuits for our local NHS staff
• Homeless food/item preparation and drop in central London
• Tree planning as part of our twinning initiative with a school in Nepal

The Dwight School London community are passionate about action and invested in making a difference. Taking action is an integral part of all IB Programmes and often extends beyond the classroom halls and walls. Action frequently stems from our wonderful classroom work, and often a result of student inquiry. Over the course of the year, students have an opportunity to serve in the local and international community by participating in various action activities that help and support others and their environments.
 

Service as Action (SaA) is a foundational element of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). It seeks to develop caring members of the community who act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and their environment.

Service as action requires students to engage with their local community through community or personal projects and provides opportunities for students to explore, design, implement, and reflect on their efforts to positively impact their local environment. Through Service as Action experiences, students learn the value of community participation and gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing their immediate surroundings.

At Dwight London Service as Action and Creativity, Activity and Service are implemented in the school curriculum. Units of study offer students opportunities to take action in and outside lessons. Action is embedded in the tutoring system with Tuesdays dedicated to research, discussion and reflection to raise awareness of issues related to our local and global community.