Good Practice

Published 19 October, 2012


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Name of public health intervention:
Ecoclubes International

Entity that is presenting it:

  • Institution/Organization name: International Network of Ecoclubs / Red Internacional de Ecoclubes
  • Address:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • Website:

Type of Organization: Civil Society or Non-Governmental

Partners:

  • Participating National Institutions, Organizations and/or Subregional Entities:
    Ministries of Health and/or Environment, Local Municipal Governments, Schools, Health Clinics
  • Participating International and Multilateral Organizations:
    Fundación AVINA, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Ashoka foundation, The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization

Category(ies):
Environmental Health, Sustainable Development and Intersectoral Action

Keyword(s):
Environment, community, youth, leadership, sustainability, medioambiente, climate change, comunidad, jovenes, liderazgo, sostenibilidad, cambio climatico

Geographic scope of the intervention?

Global

Where is the intervention being implemented?

  • Region(s):
    Americas|Africa|European
  • Country(ies):
    Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela ,Argentina
  • Locality(ies):

Is there a target population or beneficiary? No

When did the intervention begin?
1992

Is it still functioning? Yes

Summary:
Ecoclubs (or “Ecoclubes” in Spanish) are democratic civil society organizations, constituted almost entirely by children and young people (ages 12 to 25) that are dedicated to improving quality of life in their communities through environmental action. Ecoclubs provide leadership opportunities for young people and give them first-hand experience in using collective action as a means to build healthier environments. Through the promotion of youth participation in community health and environmental programs, Ecoclubes create a way for youth to organize themselves and collectively examine the environmental problems that affect their communities and then create and implement practical solutions to solve them.

Ecoclubs began in Argentina in 1992, when groups of students decided to improve local solid waste management in their communities. The model grew within Argentina into a national organization by 1998. That same year 60 participants from throughout the Americas, including representatives from Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru, El Salvador and Ecuador, traveled to Argentina to learn more about the Ecoclub model and its underlying philosophy through the first International Ecoclub School exchange. In addition, with support from the Dutch organization WASTE, the model was shared with representatives from Africa and Asia. Through its partnership with the Pan-American Health Organization, the Ecoclub experience has been shared with municipal authorities and non-governmental organizations throughout Latin America, and it has been formalized into an International Network of Ecoclubs (Red International de Ecoclubes). Today the Ecoclubs can boast over 15,000 youth participants in 500 active Ecoclubs throughout 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Africa.

Click here to read more about the project/initiative

Additional Material:

Videos:

Photos:

Album 1

Album 2

More:

Links and Additional Resources:

Contact Information:

Name of Contact Person:
Ricardo Bertolino
Organization:
Founder of the Ecoclubs Movement
Address:
Rosario, Argentina
Email:
rbertolino@placc.org

Additional contact:
Alfonso Contreras
Organization/Institution:
PAHO/WHO
Email:
contrera@paho.org

Additional contact:
Guillermo Hegel
Organization/Institution:
PAHO/WHO - Guatemala Country Office
Email:
hegelgui@gut.ops-oms.org


 

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