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July 10, 2010
Alcoa volunteers help to move education outdoors in East Iceland
Outdoor school rooms have been established at the elementary schools in Egilsstadir and Reydarfjördur in East Iceland. Alcoa Fjardaál employees and PTA members at both schools volunteered for these projects, which are funded by the Alcoa foundation as part of the company’s global ACTION volunteer program.
Both projects are based on a model originating in Norway, where this concept has proved to be very successful, even in places where weather conditions may be extreme, as in Iceland. The outdoor school rooms are ideal for teaching children how to read the environment and feel good being in a natural environment, which may help future generations to appreciate and respect nature.
Ásta Ásgeirsdóttir, principle of Reydarfjördur Elementary School, says that the outdoor school room provides many opportunities. “It’s great to be able to offer lessons outdoors, which brings some welcome variety from the traditional system we have. We are, of course, delighted with the Action project and want to thank Alcoa for the support. The project is very well appreciated by the townspeople, and especially the students,” Ásta says.
The outdoor school room, located next to the school playground, is designed as an open area with trees that serve as a windbreak, some tables and a hearth. Ásta says that the aim with the outdoor school room is to make the environment a natural part of the curriculum and add colour and variety to the children’s studies.
Gudmundur Sveinsson Kröyer, a member of Fjardaál’s environmental team supervised the project at Egilsstadir Elementary School on behalf of the Fjardaál volunteers. “This was a very enjoyable job, and I think it was a great success. We cleared the site and made trails, a hearth and a shelter,” says Gudmundur, who has two children in the school.
“These two projects, the setup of the two outdoor school rooms , are a part of the Action program. Alcoa Fjardaál initiates around five to nine Action volunteer projects each year. The idea has come up to assist other elementary schools in East Iceland to establish outdoor school rooms, and Fjardaál would be glad to assist. These projects are in perfect tune with Alcoa’s aims, where we put sustainability first,” says Erna Indridadóttir, community and public relations manager of Alcoa Fjardaál.
The Alcoa Foundation has for the past few years granted up to 20 thousand dollars each year for Action projects in Iceland.
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