School/Community Links in Environmental Education. A Review of the Factors of Success in the Chongololo Clubs of Zambia

摘要

Zambia's Chongololo Clubs have been operating in elementary schools across the country for over twenty-five years. They represent a program of environmental education that has stood the test of time and has continued to be an important force in reaching out to young people with a message of environmental conservation. They have also had a positive effect on community awareness of conservation concerns. The intent of this review was to determine which features of the program were critical to its success, so that new initiatives for environmental education could be mounted in other African countries with the insight gained from the Zambian experience. In order to determine the major factors contributing to the program's success, a school review was conducted in selected regions of Zambia: Mfuwe, representing an area associated with a major national park; Choma, representing a rural area focused on agriculture; Kitwe, representing the industrial centres of the Copperbelt; and Lusaka, representing a major urban area. Within each region a number of schools were identified, and interviews were conducted with club patrons, students and members of the community.