Activity Reports

AJYELN Lao PDR Fellows Conduct an Awareness Campaign on Separating Plastic Waste among 312 Secondary Students in Vientiane

2023/10/24

Report by Phyraphol, Vankham, Alisia, Thipmala (AJYELN Lao PDR Fellows)

*Figure 1. 312 secondary students from Pathana School join the plastic pollution awareness campaign organized by the AJYELN Lao PDR Fellows.*

Key Takeaways

・312 secondary students from Pathana School in Vientiane, Lao PDR gained a better understanding of the segregation of plastic waste.The program emphasized the harmful environmental impact of non-degraded plastic waste and increased students’ interest and awareness on this issue.

・As students learned how to change their behavior and begin to practice waste separation, they also realized that their daily practices can contribute positively to reducing plastic waste in the environment.

AJYELN Lao PDR fellows organized a student awareness campaign on proper separation of garbage on September 6 and 12 for Year 1 and 2 secondary students at Pathana School. The campaign gathered 312 students and teachers who were eager to learn about proper waste segregation. The objective was to inform them on how to implement practical daily waste separation activities in their classrooms and in the school yard.

Figure2. Students actively engaging and answering questions during the lecture.

Following that, the AJYELN fellows assumed responsibility for the program and organized a variety of activities, including PowerPoint presentations and a poster competition. The team provided explanations about what plastic is: its nature, material, and manufacturing process. Then, they discussed the different ways plastic can harm the environment and offered practical solutions to address the problem of plastic pollution.

*Figure 3. AJYELN Fellows demonstrating segregation of waste according to material: degradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclable.*

Figure 4. The presentation by one of the members of the AJYELN Laos included thought-provoking quizzes, designed not only to foster participation but also to incentivize learning through enticing rewards.

Through the program, we noted that:

・Students actively gave their own perspective and point of view related to the problem and issue that was being discussed.

・The participating students paid close attention during the slideshows and actively collaborated by answering questions during and after the lecture.

・In order to keep the students interested in the project and practicing waste separation, we have created the following activity plan that aims to engage the students regularly:

	Activity Title	Target group	Date
1	Apply to volunteer	Secondary (years 1-7)	20 September 2023
2	A good environmental poster in your style	Secondary (years 1-7)	25 September 2023
3	Draw a picture of the environment you want to be	Primary (years 3-5)	27 September 2023
4	Activities to answer questions about the environment by Kahoot	Secondary (years 1-7)	29 September 2023