APS (Service Learning) projects are curricular activities, mandatory as from the 2019-2020 school year, which are carried out in the third or fourth year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). These projects may focus on any of the curriculum’s subject(s) and require at least 20 hours, 10 of which have to be for a public service. As a mandatory activity it is assessed like any other content according to the project’s own goals and the issue(s) it focuses on.

Staff from the Zoo’s Area of Education have already started working on this school year's project with groups from La Salle Comtal and the Escola Mare de Déu del Roser. Last week saw the presentation of the initiative to students at La Salle Bonanova and the Institut Escola Costa i Llobera. These four centres conclude the number of centres planned for this school year.

This year's project, bearing the title “The Sea Floor”, given the environmental problems of pollution, sees participating students tackle the challenge of what needs to be learnt from the current situation to encourage citizens to act responsibly and with commitment, not just through reflection but also practice. That means they will become disseminators and enhancers of good practices, involving their nearby surroundings. The aim through this methodology is to promote students’ participation from the community-player perspective, establishing a commitment to responding to the problems detected.

This is the educational approach adopted by the Zoo for fostering and disseminating experiences and knowledge in nature and biodiversity conservation, as well as collaborating in the promotion of a quality education. This is done through educational projects, along with activities, visits, workshops, campaigns and programmes that enable visitors and city residents to discover and act responsibly over the environment and its recovery, conservation and protection.

One of the aims of Barcelona Zoo, as a public institution at the service of the city's residents, is to promote a quality education to help with and contribute towards raising environmental awareness. We all have to be capable of cooperating in the conservation of ecosystems, making sustainable use of natural resources.

Now that Christmas is around the corner and it’s the season of goodwill... What about you?

What do you intend to do to help to improve our environment?

Will you help us? ...