Communication & Awareness

COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS The Environmental Education and Communication (EE&C) Unit of the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been collaborating with many schools within the Greater Banjul and beyond with the aim of providing knowledge and skills needed to preserve, protect and to conserve the environment through positive actions.

The collaborating schools are Westley, Old Jeshwang, Bakau New-Town, Bakoteh, Sukuta, Brikama, Talinding, Essau, Brefet and Sotokoi Lower Basic Schools. They are provided with basic understanding on how environmental problems and issues arise and how they can be resolved. Aimed at changing attitudes, beliefs and actions, this gives pupils the opportunity to explore environmental issues and to nurture individual positive attitudes towards the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUIZ COMPETITION As part of activities marking the Gambia Environment Week, the students and teachers also take part in the annual Environmental Quiz Competition. Questions are drawn from environment and related issues. An interlude of drama on the environment and other social problems and concerns marks the day.

All participating schools receive educational materials, certificates and stationeries in addition to the cash prizes and the trophy that goes to the deserving schools.

COLLABORATION WITH THE MEDIA The NEA actively collaborates with the local media, which serve as the vehicle that drives environment news to the general public. A weekly Environment column is established in the Daily Observer Newspaper while the Point, Foroyaa and the Daily Express Newspapers will also soon start hosting similar columns. The agency, in a bid to complement the efforts of the local media, produces her own environmental newsletter called the Earth News.

Environmental sensitization programmes are also conducted in most radio stations in the country. As a chain work, officers from the Technical Service and other Units filter sensitization package to the EE&C for radio presentation. These radio stations include: GRTS-Radio, City Limits, West Coast, Radio 1FM, Yiriwa FM, and FM_B Radio stations.

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS
On more pro-active environmental awareness creation, the EE&C unit organizes focus group discussions, where communities, villages, organizations etc. are visited and matters concerning the environment are discussed.