Global Congress on Environmental Education, which has been held periodically since 2003, WEEC is an essential platform for debate and research on the key themes of environmental education.

The Foundation’s participation in this 9th edition reflects once again its commitment to environmental education, through its numerous environmental education programs for young people (Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment, Training of young journalists, teaching tools), in addition to its programs on the littoral, air and climate, sustainable tourism, parks and historic gardens.

For this edition, the Foundation is involved in four separate workshops. It will be discussed in particular in the following themes: Educational Approaches to Place and Outdoor Learning, Agriculture & Gardening and Environmental Communication.

“Place-based educational approaches and outdoor learning”

Rehabilitation and enhancement of historic gardens. Presentation by Loubna Chaouni

The parks and historic gardens rehabilitated by the Foundation are transformed into a relaxation area as well as education and awareness spaces. The Foundation introduces pedagogical tools (interactive kiosks, pedagogical paths, ephemeral gardens) for children and adults.

“Agriculture and Learning through Gardening”

Agroecology in the palm grove of Marrakech: learning and change of production mode. Presentation by Loubna Chaouni.

The program for the protection and development of the Marrakech palm plantation initiated by the Foundation has set up an action to support local people who live off the farm. This action proposes a new approach, in this case agroecology, which makes it possible to fix the populations by providing them with an income, and to make them defenders of their ecosystem.

“Environmental Communication”

Trophies Lalla Hasnaa Durable Coastline. Presentation by Sami El Iklil

The third and fourth workshops will focus on Environmental Communication. This will be done on the Lalla Hasnaa Littoral Durable Trophies, which are held every two years and which reward good practices, ecological actions, environmental education and awareness and coastal preservation. They are open to all: associations, institutions, local authorities, economic operators, schoolchildren, high school students, researchers, experts, and so on.

E-learning: training of journalists in the environment. Presentation by Ihssane El Marouani.

The last workshop will focus on the e-learning program launched by the Foundation to strengthen the capacities of young journalists in Africa. This pioneering experience in Morocco of the use of NICTs for ESD makes it possible to create an African network of journalists sensitized to the protection of the environment.

The choice of Vancouver to host the 9th edition of the WEEC is not insignificant: the greenest city in Canada, this port city aims to become the greenest in the world by 2020. Before it, Marrakech hosted the 7th edition of the WEEC in 2013, an edition co-organized by the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment under the theme “Environmental education and the challenges of a better harmony city-countryside”. This 7th edition of WEEC had the participation of more than 2600 participants from 105 countries of the world.