Back to school can be a stressful time for everyone and while we are busy buying uniforms and new school shoes, NI Water’s education team are already set for another busy school year and looking forward to getting back into the classroom.
With three dedicated vehicles to deliver the education programme across Northern Ireland, our team are ‘driving change’ by engaging with our young people about water education. Since 2007, over 260,000 pupils have learnt about the wonderful world of water and despite the challenges the last year brought, in 2021/22 alone, we engaged with 18,587 pupils!
Anna Killen, NI Water’s Outreach and Learning Officer, reflects on the year, “To say the last couple of years have been different, is an understatement! We had to adapt to remote learning, virtual visits, and restrictions in the classroom, but the water learning continued, and we engaged with 565 schools over the past 2 years, delivering what matters for our future generations of water users.
“This year we are ready to get back on the road and visit schools and groups across the country driving forward change. As water issues come to the fore with climate change, plastic pollution, and environmental challenges, we will aim to educate and inform our young people on the importance of our water supply and how we can all protect this valuable resource.
“While we adapt to our back-to-school routine, now is the perfect time to remember some of the top water saving tips that have been learnt in the classroom and add those to our new bustling schedules. Simple things such as reducing our time in the shower, saving the washing until we have a full load, turning off the tap when brushing our teeth and having a reusable water bottle filled ready for the school day will not only save water but help us save a little time as we once again get used to the busy morning routine.
“Following an extremely high demand for water this summer, we are dedicated to teaching pupils how to adopt further simple habits to save water which they will hopefully turn into lifelong habits and look forward to getting back to the classroom and visiting schools across the country when our water vehicles hit the roads again.”
All NI Water’s education programmes can be requested via our new online booking platform found at www.niwater.com/resources-for-schools
Open College Network awards £82K in grants to support disadvantaged NI learners
30th Aug 2022
Read Article