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Research project: Environmental education Ongoing research |
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Identification |
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Project summary |
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Past
research, 2001-2003 (Word version only) |
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(Word
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Project summary |
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The actual collaborative research/intervention objectives of the COMERN Environmental Education (EE) are the following: 1) To characterize the socio-environmental situation of each concerned region, regarding the mercury issue; 2) To characterize the social representations (knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, signification, etc.) associated with this issue in concerned communities; 3) To conceive, experiment and evaluate environmental heath education projects focused on the mercury issue and search for appropriate solutions; 4) To identify and critically appraise the issues associated to the environmental health education projects: epistemological, ethical, cultural and strategic issues; 5) To develop an environmental health education (EHE) model applied to the contaminant issue, thus contributing to the development of the theoretical and practical field of environmental health education; 6) To identify and critically appraise the epistemological and strategic issues associated to the process of inter-disciplinarity in the COMERN project. The pursue of the first two objectives allows to identify the social factors (including knowledge genesis, cultural values and practices, political and economical conditions, power relationships, etc.) which determine social participation and risk management related to the mercury issue. In objective 3, the EHE projects aim at involving people in the investigation process, in the search for appropriate solutions and in a responsible commitment in the implementation of these solutions. The pursue of the objectives 1 to 4 allows to identify relevant principles, approaches, strategies and processes for environmental health education, taking into account the characteristics of the different psycho-social and environmental contexts in which we intervene. In objective 5, the EHE model to be developed will be oriented towards a participatory environmental health risk management. It will be contextualized but also transferable to similar context. Finally, the pursuing of objective 6 is crucial in the development of efficient interdisciplinary practices which are still to be defined and applied to insure the success of COMERN. Integration Assuming the tasks of a) creating an indispensable link between the COMERN research groups and the participating populations and b) integrating the social dimensions to the understanding and solving of the mercury contamination issue, the contributions of the EE work to the network are numerous and stand at different levels: 1) integration of knowledge (disciplinary scientific knowledge and practices; scientific knowledge and experiential/traditional knowledge; experiential/ traditional knowledge within and between the different case studies) and 2) integration of EE activities with other COMERN teams’ activities and with communities’ specific structures, meetings and events. It implies for the EE team the following integrated and retroactive (not linear) tasks, activities and strategies: - To be aware of the previous state of scientific knowledge in the different aspects of the issue (permanent literature review of available synthesis); to follow the progression of the environment (biogeophysic) and health teams researches; to participate with these teams to the progressive integration of scientific knowledge; - In collaboration with the other COMERN teams and the communities involved, to investigate, describe, discuss and understand the socio-environmental context of each case study; to insure the validation, flow and integration of information concerning the contextual aspects among and between the different participants and to stimulate its integration in the research designs and in the community projects (permanent scientific and local bioregional and social literature review; participant observation, interviews and focus groups; synthesis, validation, discussion and diffusion of such information through COMERN workshops and EE activities with communities); - More precisely, to investigate the previous and actual community experience and representation of the issue; to synthesise, validate, discuss and diffuse this information; to insure its integration in the research designs and in the community projects. (permanent literature review on psycho-social aspects of the issue; interviews and focus groups with participants from different social segments of the global communities; participant observation; meetings and workshops); - To promote and adopt a collaborative process in designing each COMERN activity which implies working with communities, so as to be sure to integrate relevant information and to integrate the different teams efforts towards and with the community (adopting a coherent participatory approach); - To invite (as often as relevant and possible) other COMERN teams to participate in EE activities; - In a collegial and participatory process, to critically discuss, construct and diffuse the COMERN philosophy, approaches and progressive results. To collaboratively construct a relevant and coherent message. - To integrate knowledge emerging from the different case studies through EE team research activities and educational interventions (meetings and workshops); - In collaboration with the COMERN network team and the community partners, to develop communication strategies based on risk communication - as in the revision of the Fish consumption guide in lake Saint-Pierre (permanent literature review; workshops; community meetings and activities: participation to public events, exhibits, school and community projects, etc.); - To create links among the different case study participants, and between the case studies (Meetings, communication, sharing of information); - To construct an integrative environmental health education model, which may be adapted in different contexts (Literature review; anasynthesis, including the integration of the progressive results emerging from the whole collaborative EE process); - To investigate and work on the integration process itself (literature review; participant reflexive observation, discussions; in the future, specific workshops should be planned). Significant contribution St. Lawrence River case study In Lac Saint-Pierre, two main projects have been developed: A) one with the workgroup “Zone d’Intervention Prioritaire (ZIP) du Lac-Saint-Pierre” as the main partner; B) the other with the Sorel-Tracy College. In some aspects, these two projects are integrated one into each other. These projects are driven in a double perspective: to induce an environmental health education dynamics in the region, and to collaboratively investigate the socio-cultural aspects of the issue, towards the identification of relevant solutions. The ZIP project: - Development of a collaborative process with community participants, mainly from 5 groups (la Table de concertation en environnement du Bas Richelieu, l’Association des chasseurs et pêcheurs de Sainte-Anne de Sorel, le Centre de développement communautaire de Nicolet –Yamaska, le Groupe de femmes l’Héritage de Louiseville et des représentants du grand public); up to now, this process has permitted to identify community needs and concerns, and to explore and re-define the issue; these partnerships and the associated collaborative dynamics is essential to the pursue of COMERN goals; - Access to local information of primary importance for the relevance and efficiency of COMERN research activities (ex: consumption habits; fishing habits in space and time; environmental observations; information structure and availability; trust in scientific knowledge, in formal recommendations (ex.: fish consumption guides); people critical skills; social representations concerning contamination and its impacts on health; attitudes concerning risks; social structures and cultural practices; level of issue appropriation; politicians and deciders involvement; regulations, etc. - Participation of community groups to the revision of the Québec’s fish consumption guide and to the design of an easy-to-use public information and participation tool (to be completed and experimented this year); - Community’s desire and willingness to participate in COMERN project; community’s involvement in co-constructing and diffusing information, and in raising a public debate. The Sorel-Tracy College project: - Strengthening of links between university (UQAM/COMERN) and college (Sorel-Tracy) for investigation and education concerning the mercury issue. - With the full enthusiast collaboration of the Board of Directors of the college, adoption of the COMERN project and the contamination issue in the institutional curriculum as a starting point for EE pedagogical projects; this year four academic areas has developed an environmental education project; next year, other academic areas should join the COMERN project. - College collaboration to the COMERN investigation work: for example, a local student is actually involved in the COMERN biophysical research team; but moreover, the College has the project to implant long term mercury monitoring (atmospheric deposition, soil sediments, etc.) as laboratory activities for the students in science programs. - In the perspective of developing a regional “educational community” for environmental health education on the mercury contamination issue, construction of links 1) between the college and secondary and primary regional schools (through the students environmental education projects); between the college and different community groups (through student’s investigation and EE projects). Labrador case study Three complementary types of activities were undertaken: A) a collaborative investigation process with community people, mainly on the socio-cultural aspects of the problematic; B) a collaborative general public communication program of activities (radio shows, posters, workshops, interviews, discussion); C) a school-community environmental education project. As significant contributions: - In collaboration with health team, development of a collaborative process with community participants. Up to now, this process has permitted to identify community needs and concerns, and to explore and re-define the issue; - Access to local information of primary importance to the COMERN research activities, to the search for solutions and design of communicational process (see above L. Saint-Pierre: same type of data); - Adoption of the COMERN project and the contamination issue in the curriculum as a starting point for an EE program development in Peenamin McKenzie School in Sheshatshiu. Potential benefits - Through the collaborative investigation process as part of environmental education projects, contribution to the development of participatory environmental health risk management strategies and tools, contextually adapted to each region under case study, but including core elements transferable to other similar regions; - Introduction of environmental health education in the curriculum of schools and college in the regions under case study; possibility of transfer of the experience to other regions. - Enhanced public awareness and commitment to protect health and the environment. |
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link between the COMERN health and applied science research groups: |
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Ecosystemic study:Lakes of the boreal forest Case study 1: Coastal environment of the Bay of fundy Case study 2: The St-Lawrence River |
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COMERN Head Office: Université du Québec à Montréal, President-Kennedy Bldg – Suite PK-7150 C.P.8888, Downtown STA (Qc) H3C 3P8. Phone: (514) 987-3601, Fax : (514) 987-3635 www.unites.uqam.ca/comern -- email: comern@uqam.ca |
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