February 28, 2012, Berlin/Germany [CD-EUDnews]. At February 2012 Adventist Youth in Germany received accolade as UN World Decade Project for KidsCamp, an innovative project for Elementary school children sponsored by the Berlin Central German Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church. Youth director Alexander Schulze (1st from right on the picture) and Pastor Jens Fabich (2nd from right) accepted the award in the name of all staff members who helped make this success possible. For its sustainable approach KidsCamp was named as a UN World Decade Project by the jury of the German national committee of the UN Decade “Education for Sustainable Development”.
The United Nations proclaimed the UN World Decade of Education for Sustainable Development for the years 2005 to 2014. The aim of this world-wide educational initiative is to enable each human being to acquire the values, knowledge and skills necessary for shaping the future according to the concept of sustainable development. UNESCO is the lead agency for the Decade at international level, while the German Commission for UNESCO coordinates the activities in Germany in particular.
Education for Sustainable Development signifies education that disseminates values as intergenerational equity, gender parity, social tolerance, poverty reduction, environmental protection and restoration, natural resource conservation, and just and peaceful societies. Further it means education that highlights the complexity and interdependence of three spheres, the environment, society – broadly defined to include culture – and the economy.
"This kind of initiatives is highly educational for our kids," says Elsa Cozzi, Children's Ministries Director at the Euro-Africa Region of the Seventh-day Advenstist Church. "Children are sensitized and involved not only to respect the social environment in which they are located, but also to form a conscience to act accordingly." Elsa Cozzi adds: “I would like to congratulate the authors of this initiative, hoping that this educational model can be applied, wherever possible, also in other countries.”
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany has 35.099 baptized members and is organized within eight conferences and two unions.
