At the end of April, the momentum continued with a workshop focused on creating an awareness campaign for the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere.

Held at the École Internationale Gaston Thorn, the workshop aimed to encourage pupils to work together to come up with effective ways to educate others about the local biodiversity in the Minett. The facilitators guided the pupils through structured activities to help them define campaign topics, target audiences and presentation methods, thereby fostering creativity and critical thinking.

The workshop began with an introduction outlining the day’s objectives, followed by a recap of previous sessions and field observations. The students then brainstormed topics they found compelling and used post-its to jot down ideas such as biodiversity facts or industrial heritage stories. They then grouped similar themes to identify recurring interests. Through a voting process involving stickers, they narrowed it down to four topics to be developed over the following weeks.

© Minett UNESCO Biosphere

During a class discussion, potential target audiences were identified and listed on a board for clarity. Next, the pupils explored creative presentation approaches, proposing ideas such as QR code discovery trails and interactive quizzes. The feasibility of these ideas was assessed based on the short timeframe of 3–4 weeks, the available equipment and budget, and the suitability of the audience, with the most popular methods being selected by a final vote.

The students then formed working groups based on their interests, each supported by a mentor. These groups defined their key messages, content, research needs and presentation formats. This culminated in group presentations where ideas were refined for coherence and feasibility.

The results of this workshop were highly encouraging. The participatory nature of the workshop empowered students to take ownership of their learning, resulting in innovative campaign ideas tailored to specific audiences. This collaborative effort reinforced their understanding of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere and honed their teamwork, communication and project planning skills, setting a strong foundation for the final phase of the project.