Dunkelsteinerwald school project - implementation

The region is explored by primary school children © Franz Weingartner
The region is explored by primary school children © Franz Weingartner

In the future, there should be stronger focus on topics related to the Dunkelsteinerwald in lessons at the region’s primary schools. Teaching staff worked on how to achieve this in an initial project, the results of which are now being implemented in another LEADER project.

The Dunkelsteinerwald working group, a micro-region comprising the six municipalities of Bergern im Dunkelsteinerwald, Dunkelsteinerwald, Hafnerbach, Haunoldstein, Neidling and Schönbühel-Aggsbach, wishes to anchor a sense of identification with the Dunkelsteinerwald region in the local population.

This should be achieved by creating a sense of awareness of the region and its special features amongst its young residents. The aim is to strengthen identification with the Dunkelsteinerwald and thus ties to the region over the longer term. For this reason, a concept for integrating regional topics into the curriculum at local primary schools was developed together with local educators and should now be implemented in the next project.
Four measures will be implemented within the scope of this project:

  1. Joint further training for teachers of the schools on regional topics: Guided tours on cultural history and nature involving experts from the region are planned.
     
  2. Region-specific learning materials: The contents of the learning materials come from the teachers to ensure they are of practical relevance. The documents are being given a standardised, child-appropriate design and will be provided online via the existing website of the Dunkelsteinerwald working group.
     
  3. Manual for outdoor activities and hiking days: Proposals for hiking days and activities in the region will also be made by the educators and put online like the learning materials.
     
  4. Joint multi-starting point hike of the schools: A first joint multi-starting point hike from the primary schools to the Hohenegg ruin is being organised within the scope of the project. In the long term, this hike should be organised by the schools themselves, for which a checklist will be provided.

 

Discussed in the project selection committee: 15.10.2019
Project promoter: ARGE Dunkelsteinerwald - Verein für Regionalplanung
Funding level: 80%
Project duration: 15.10.2019 – 30.6.2022
Supported by the federal government, the federal province and the European Union (LEADER).