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    Categories: 2020

ATP Shifts Gears to Present More Online Environmental Education Resources during Crisis

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
400 W Cummings Park, Suite 3900
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Web: 
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PRESS RELEASE
March 31, 2020

ATP Shifts Gears to Present More Online Environmental Education Resources during 
Crisis

By Jason Sohigian

Environmental education has been one of Armenia Tree Project's major programs 
for the past 15 years, so when schools closed and people began following the 
norms of social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, 
the organization changed gears quickly.

In Armenia and in the Diaspora, ATP had an ambitious agenda of programs and 
visits scheduled with students, including preparations for diasporan students 
who were planning to visit Armenia to plant trees with their peers this spring. 
Within a week, most programs had been cancelled or postponed, so ATP's educators 
went into action to present new material online. 

"Many schools introduced web-based distance learning programs during this period 
and some have struggled with this due to a shortage of resources, so once again 
ATP stepped in to fill a gap around environmental education," explains Executive 
Director Jeanmarie Papelian.

Impact on Education Programs in Armenia

The environmental education department had ambitious plans for spring in 
Armenia. This included strategy meetings with the youth Eco Clubs initiated by 
ATP around the country, to plan classes and field trips that would lead to green 
projects launched in their communities later in the year.

"Since the schools are closed and it's currently a challenge to plan these 
activities with school directors and relevant governmental and local bodies, we 
decided to use this time to update our existing educational materials," says 
Environmental Education Manager Kristine Hovsepyan. "Many of these lessons are 
connected with the Building Bridges youth newsletters on our website, and we 
began to share them with our partner teachers on a weekly basis."

The education team also began developing new lessons. "Our educators in Armenia 
and in the US sprang into action and are working to put informative and engaging 
resources in the hands of students and families who are looking for ways to keep 
kids learning even when the schools are closed," adds Papelian. "We still have a 
sense of urgency and commitment around these issues which are global and which 
will be affecting people and planet for years to come, even after the current 
crisis is under control." 

Building Bridges Program Engages Diaspora

The Building Bridges program was initiated to introduce ATP's environmental 
education resources to students in the Diaspora, and to help connect diasporans 
with Armenia around environmental topics. A series of illustrated newsletters 
were created, as well as a "Kids & Family" tab on the ATP website with resources 
including videos and lessons.

This spring, ATP had a series of visits planned in California and across the 
East Coast to introduce new Building Bridges material to students, and prepare 
some of the classes for their upcoming trips to Armenia. When the situation 
changed, ATP started putting the resources online using email, the website, and 
social media.

"We're going to miss seeing the students in person this spring," notes Community 
Outreach Manager Anahit Gharibyan. "I was planning to visit more than a dozen 
schools in California, and our Boston team was planning the same for schools on 
the East Coast. We thought the next best thing would be to put this material 
online and get it out to families directly." 

For the past few weeks, ATP has been sending out a weekly email to its list with 
educational resources, and these are shared on its Facebook and Instagram pages. 
These include links to worksheets, environmental facts from ATP's characters 
like Tchalo the gampr, and tips for coping with social distancing. 

"We know that everyone is facing the effects of the coronavirus crisis, but we 
are following through on our commitments to people and the planet," concludes 
Papelian. "This is why we also appealed to our supporters this spring, in order 
to keep this work going. As our founder Carolyn Mugar has said before, we are in 
this for the long-term. After the current crisis passes, we will still be 
working to reverse the environmental crisis."




Shushan Frangulian: