Global Guardians - Protecting the elements of nature
January 21, 2024
Under the motto of “Global Guardians”, Long Yang NGO launched a children's education program in Munich about the elements of nature and their interconnections.
Over the last two years, Long Yang NGO has been developing an education concept for preschool children with the aim to inspire their intuitive access to nature and sense of curiosity. With the understanding of the elements of nature as our common ground, the need to protect it becomes apparent. The workshop series “Global Guardians – Protecting the elements of nature” is part of this education concept.
About the workshops
In 5 interactive workshops, children have learnt about the 4 elements water, fire, earth, air and their qualities in a playful way. Over a couple of months, about 30 preschool children from different kindergartens in Munich took part in the Global Guardian’s elements workshops, funded by the “Zukunftspaket”.
The purpose of the program is for the children to discover the elements in a practical way. Throughout the sessions, the children were inspired to experience the elements with all their senses, become aware of the qualities inherent in each of them and where to find them in nature and within us humans. The structure of the sessions allowed the kids to have these experiences intrinsically while the Akasha trainers guided them along the way.
A practical way to experience the elements
Through this practical way of presentation, the children were able to make a connection to each of the respective elements. They were able to deeply understand the presence of the elements in nature and in humans: How they are inevitably connected to each other and to all of existence. The children concluded by themselves why the elements of nature are essential to humans and need to be protected.
Inspired feedback from kids and educators
One example of this process was the appreciation of something as simple as an apple. The educators were surprised by the change of view of the children. They had already talked to them about the qualities of an apple and how it grows, which they were not very interested in at that time. However, after completing the sessions, the children were in awe of what the apple represents and how it is connected to the same elements as our human existence – that, in essence, it needs the same resources to grow and to survive. Ultimately, the kids expressed that the apple is truly something special, worth protecting. For the Akasha educators as well as the educators of the children it was very inspiring to observe the children becoming true Global Guardians.
The Global Guardians Curriculum and future plans
Based on our education concept “Global Guardians Curriculum”, we are planning to open kindergartens in the next years and to extend it gradually to an international school curriculum. In addition to a high-quality education, children and young people have the opportunity to experience the basic facts of life as our shared common ground. In this environment, they can develop their capacities to contribute to a positive future for our planet.
