ATP News

PRESS RELEASE
December 05, 2005

INTERVIEW: Armenia Tree Project Expands Environmental Education Program
Program Manager Gayane Ghukasyan Calls It Crucial for Armenia’s Future

Gayane Ghukasyan is working in collaboration with the Peace Corps, USDA, and Armenia’s Ministry of Education to expand ATP’s Environmental Education program

For the past several years, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has been developing environmental education as a program area in order to prepare the nation’s youth for becoming the next generation of environmental stewards. Because the public school system in Armenia does not teach environmental education as part of its regular curriculum, ATP has designed a curriculum that we expect to introduce to teachers and students through the Ministry of Education.

This year ATP identified environmental education as a core program area and hired Gayane Ghukasyan, to oversee its management and expansion. To support its education programs, ATP established the Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental Education Center at the Karin Nursery. The Ohanian Center is a state-of-the-art facility in which students from secondary schools and colleges, as well as professionals in the field, attend trainings and seminars on trees and the environment.

The following is an interview with Environmental Education Program Manager Gayane Ghukasyan. Dr. Ghukasyan has a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a PhD in Biology from Moscow State University. A copy of ATP’s draft environmental education curriculum is also available on the ATP web site.

Click here to view ATP's Environmental Education Curriculum (in English)
Click here to view ATP's Environmental Education Curriculum (in Armenian)

Question: How did Armenia Tree Project develop its environmental education curriculum?

Answer: The curriculum--which is really a teacher’s manual--was created by Karla Wesley, who is an advisor on Environmental Education Organization and Development. Working closely with ATP, she prepared the curriculum, which was tested this past Summer and Fall by ATP staff and Peace Corps volunteers in various regions of Armenia. In addition to Dr. Wesley’s contributions, Luba Balyan from the Birds of Armenia NGO developed three lessons, and ATP program manager Anahit Gharibyan prepared a lesson on tree planting techniques.

Continued.....