One of the thematic sessions of the 3rd World Environmental Education Congress (2-6 October, in Torino, Italy) will be devoted to emotional intelligence, or rather the possibility of conveying concepts and experiences through unconventional teaching methods like theater, game playing, direct contact with nature and the creative workshop.

This model is not based on logic alone but also - and above all - on the emotions that can develop in the individual. Some of the experiences presented at the 3rd WEEC draw on theater, a fusion of cultural, social and psychological aspects. In society, as in theater, man acts both alone and as a member of a group, and his character evolves along with the relationship he has created with other people. Game playing through emotional intelligence is another technique that can be used in environmental education because it facilitates group learning and the share of ideas. This method has unexplored potentials that can generate interest in such complex problems as climate changes as well. Education outdoors is another example of how you can develop a different kind of awareness from what you get in classroom lessons. The roles change (someone who is lazy and inattentive in class often shows more interest in these activities). Discovering wilderness areas or risky activities, like rock climbing, becomes a source of new experiences. Among the workshops presented at the WEEC we want to point out practice with such sensory-filled activities as the building of burrows and dens or the reaping of wheat in a field that was seeded indoors. Or the practice of silence, for adults and children, which is associated with an idea of personal and spiritual growth and the meaning it has in diverse spiritual traditions.

For information and registrations: www.3weec.org - info@3weec.org