Lessons on linking people with places held on Burren

THE BURREN is to be used as an outdoor classroom during an international symposium in Co Clare next week.

Author and expert on childhood development and education David Sobel, US climate-change campaigner David Orr and Eden Project director Tony Kendle will be joined by British Sensory Trust director Jane Stoneham and about 25 other educators at the event, which is called From Apathy to Empathy – Reconnecting People and Place.

The symposium, endorsed by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn, is said to be the first such “place-based learning” event of its type in Ireland. It runs from August 22nd to 24th.

Burrenbeo Trust director Dr Brendan Dunford said such learning encourages the use of the local environment as an outdoor classroom.

“It seeks to connect people – of all ages and abilities – directly with the natural and man-made attributes that define their own ‘place’ and encourages us all to become more aware of our role in the rich ecosystem of life,” he said.

This approach “can also inspire us to be more proactive in looking after our own places and in tackling the issues – local and global – that impact on them”.

He cited a recent British study which found that 60 per cent of young people would rather watch television or play computer games than venture outdoors, while a third of children aged between six and 15 had never climbed a tree.

Prof Orr, who has worked on a climate-action plan for the Obama administration, will speak on landscapes and mindscapes in a hotter time, while Mr Sobel, who has written seven books on children and nature, will be hosting a workshop on design principles for educators.

Mr Kendle, foundation director with the Eden Project in Cornwall, will host a workshop on rediscovering place in a placeless society, while Sensory Trust director Ms Stoneham will look at techniques for place engagement.

More information is available at 091 638096 or burrenbeo.com