120 students from the Bemposta and Poeta António Aleixo School Groups, in Portimão, participated in the Environmental Bootcamp “Action Learning for a Green Bio-future”, which took place in this city, between the 19th and 23rd of February, where they learned to create a BiomaterialKit.
This action took place in a space adjacent to the Portimão Museum, which was equipped by the Municipality with work benches “prepared for collaboration and facilitation of processes and group dynamics, while in the outdoor space there were several interaction initiatives and promotion of group spirit », according to Portimão City Council.
The action took place within the framework of the European Town Twinning project, led by the Municipality of Portimão, whose partners are the Turkish Municipality of Bayrakli, Izmir, ISMAT – Instituto Superior Manuel Teixeira Gomes, namely the Communication Design course and Master's degree in Design for the Circular Economy, and the University of Izmir.
This project began on November 1, 2023, lasts one year and costs 115 thousand euros, aimed at activating BiomaterialKIT in the schools and communities involved.
In Portimão, this project involves the participation of students and teachers from Escola da Bemposta and Escola Secundária Poeta António Aleixo. In the future, it will be extended to other groups and community agents.
The purpose is to create methodologies and practices for the academic context, the integration of these subjects into applied projects, community integration actions and the development of local strategies, plans and roadmaps related to climate change and sustainability, in order to radically change behaviors and slow down the process of destruction of the planet.
The session “identified how practical and pedagogical experiences adjusted to the implementation of projects oriented towards biodesign and biomaterials can be developed”.
In total, 15 working groups composed of eight students each participated, representing the two groups of schools involved, «with ISMAT teachers and researchers challenging the students to develop a design process throughout the week, with different focuses and in a evolutionary”.
«The main focus was on understanding and understanding current consumption habits, sustainability, biomaterials and nature», added the municipality.
The session organizers were also able to “develop with the students a vision of how the BiomaterialKit could be used, namely through the co-creation of learning scenarios, resources to support project challenges aimed at experimenting with biomaterials (recipe manuals, guides learning resources, multimedia resources) and, finally, the co-creation of the equipment/Mobile_Lab to support these projects and experiments in the classroom, which will be built in each of the schools participating in the project».
«The participation of young people is fundamental, as is the incorporation of these subjects in schools», highlighted Álvaro Bila, vice-president of Portimão City Council, during a visit to the bootcamp.
According to those responsible for the bootcamp, «the objectives proposed by this activity are only achieved by promoting a deep connection between research in higher education and educational agents in the territory, with the Municipality having the role of promoting, in this way, a change in behavior ».
This month's bootcamp will be followed, on May 25th, by an awareness-raising action aimed at the Portimo community, with a final workshop being planned for October 2024, «which will publicize the work developed throughout the year and the “BiomaterialKIT “to be delivered to the groups of schools that participated in the project”.
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