National and regional story (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Green Package

Between May 2006 and September 2008, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) – Country Office Macedonia implemented the Green Package project – training in sustainable development in primary schools for which a multimedia educational package was produced. It is intended for use in schools and contains diverse training materials, such as a Teacher's Manual, information brochures for students, an educational DVD , a CD Rom containing lessons on different topics related to the environment, a game involving environmental problem-solving, and other printed materials. The package was published in Macedonian and Albanian languages.

The aim of the package is to introduce environmental topics in a unique and popular manner and train young people to understand the environment and know how to take care of it.

The immediate target groups include students aged between 10 and 15 and teachers from fifth to ninth grade, while indirect target groups include the families of the 25 000 students covered by the project. The end beneficiaries are the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia.

Only the Republic’s Green Package has been adapted for children with impaired vision, produced on a Braille printer. The Teacher's Manual is printed in Braille and an audio record has been made to enable it to be used by this group of children with special needs.

In October 2009, REC Country Office Macedonia initiated the Green Package Junior project aimed at 5 to 10 year-old students and covering the entire school age population. The immediate target group includes 350 primary schools with around 100 000 students and 500-550 teachers. One of the challenges to be addressed is elaboration of new games and multimedia tools, all aimed at improving the environmental awareness and knowledge of the young population.