Environmental Education Environmental education is the largest of GPOCP's programs. Our initiatives target school-aged children in grades 4-12. Our vision is that by teaching children to appreciate and respect their forest and orangutan conservation and have the capacity to effect positive change. Teaching and Curriculum Development The schools and communities surrounding Gunung Palung National Park have had little exposure to basic environmental information. GPOCP provides in-classroom instruction for students using a range of presentation methods. The curriculum transmits general environmental knowledge and information about orangutans and engages students in thinking about local conservation issues. Each grade level has a specially designed curriculum, ranging from puppet shows and songs for early elementary students to lectures for junior and senior high students. In more remote villages that are visited less frequently, conservation-themed comic books and other materials are distributed. In collaboration with the local education department, GPOCP developed an environmental education module that was integrated into the formal curriculum in Gunung Palung area schools. We also sponsored a teacher training course for this initiative and continue to monitor and evaluate its success through follow-up visits with education officials and participating teachers. Field Trips to Gunung Palung National Park GPOCP regularly leads overnight field trips for students and teachers to Gunung Palung National Park. For many, it is their first time inside the park. These trips provide participants with a change to directly experience the forest and engage in hands-on learning about topics such as plant and animal identification, water quality assessment, forest survival skills, and the importance of orangutans to the ecosystem. Students have even observed and collected data on the behavior of wild orangutans. To facilitate these excursions, GPOCP collaborated with park officials and local communities to build an environmental education campite ("Lubuk Baji") using natural materials and traditional building techniques. Lubuk Baji is also used for hosting workships, park service training sessions, and eco-tourism activities. Other Extracurricular Activities Outside of the classroom, GPOCP facilitates student-run environment clubs which have taken on projects such as building herbaria, tree planing, conservation-themed theater presentations, and environmental clean-up around their schools. Other activities include training courses on wilderness survival, birdwatching, and lessons in conversational English for interested pupils. We have found these "fun" activities to be an essential component to developing a conservation-minded population. Many of these students eagerly stay involved with GPOCP and assist with radio shows, billboard preparations, puppet show performances, and lectures to elementary students. |  A GPOCP presentation at an elementary school near Gunung Palung NP (Photo: John Lay Hery).  A GPOCP-led field trip to Gunung Palung NP for high school students  Newly-constructed Lubuk Baji campsite used for student trips and ecotourism (Photo: Jamie Kemsey)  Student environmental club participates in beach cleanup. (Photo: Endro Setiawan) |