The Polish NGO Klub Gaja, in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Heritage of Upper Silesia and Mr. Stanislaw Rozycki, a local environmental consultant, has planned a series of educational workshops to celebrate World Water Day – Baltic Day in Raciborz, southern Poland on 22 March.
The main objective during the Water Day – Baltic Day celebrations is to raise societal awareness about protection of rivers and the Baltic Sea, and about sustainable use of water resources in Poland.The observance of World Water Day – Baltic Day will be combined with an exisiting project initiative “Adopt a river: our rivers flow into the Baltic Sea”, which is geared towards school age children and youth. The project addresses the importance of the protection of rivers and the Baltic Sea.
The idea of combining the World Water Day with the Baltic Day is not new, and has been a practice in various parts of Poland for some years now. Jacek Bozek, the director of Klub Gaja, emphasizes the importance of taking collective responsibility for the future of our planet and for our future generations. He further points out that the rivers and the Baltic Sea are not only the national inheritance for Polish people, but also a valuable resources for humans and animals alike. Jacke Bozek urges nation-wide commitment, beyond the World Water Day – Baltic Day celebrations, to protect the precious water resources and reduce the current, human induced, water crisis. Within its framework, the project integrates local community participation, mainly children and youth, but also local authorities, self-governments, NGOs, and various businesses.
This year, World Water Day – Baltic Day workshops in Raciborz are expected to reach around 90 students who will learn about various water related challenges in Poland. The running theme during the day will be the protection of rivers and the Baltic Sea, and the workshops will address topics such as Baltic sea pollution, unsustainable fisheries and threatened species such as cod, and finally eutrophication and coastal development.
In addition, information about the World Water Day – Baltic Day has been distributed to 4000 schools across Poland, which collaborate with Klub Gaja on environmental issues. Those schools are encouraged to incorporate the water day theme in their schedule on 22 March. The ourcome of the school based activities, and workshops in Raciborz will be available on the Klub Gaja webpage, and later on, information will be published in the Klub Gaja bulletin “Wspólodczuwanie”.