JUSTNature Workshop with Schoolchildren in Stella Maris College

This July, the University of Malta’s JUSTNature project team visited Stella Maris College, in Gzira, to highlight the importance of having access to nature. This environmental summer boot camp opened a window onto co-creating solutions to improve quality of life in urban spaces.

To emphasise the importance of greening urban spaces, the schoolchildren of Gzira got to understand the community’s needs as well as how ecosystems work. In collaboration with NGOs such as Green Fingers Club, Friends of the Earth Malta, and BirdLife Malta, the boot camp addressed environmental challenges in Malta from multiple perspectives, always underscoring the importance of biodiversity and how everything in nature depends on other flora and fauna to survive.

Nadia from the Green Fingers Club gave a gardening workshop. Here the children learned to plant their own tomatoes and herbs. The students learned that mixing different plants in the same space deters pests and how to grow their own food at home.

Friends of the Earth Malta introduced an online game they developed, which taught children how to observe and analyse urban and natural zones around them. They mapped their town drawing intricate plans and brainstormed ideas on how to make the spaces more sustainable.

The children participated in a scavenger hunt, looking for clues that led them to better understand the importance of preserving endemic species and how introducing alien species into the wild can severely damage Malta’s biodiversity. They were asked to envision and design a green structure for their school. Their creative ideas for the installation included a climbing wall, hide outs for insects and small animals and plants to adorn the walls of the cube and bring more greenery into their everyday environment. The co-created cube will be exhibited at the Science in the City Festival on the 27th and 28th September in Valletta.

Lastly, BirdLife Malta guided the Stella Maris pupils around the Salina Nature Reserve. The children explored the wetlands, engaged in birdwatching, discussed the threats these habitats face and learned about the saltpans.

The collaboration was a success, with the children actively participating and showing a genuine interest in environmental sustainability. Their engagement and ideas made this partnership a meaningful step towards a greener future!