Same lecture hall, new lesson plan
Victar's workshop to raise citizen awareness of the importance of separated waste collection was held in one of Beloozersk's secondary schools, and the primary participants were teachers and extracurricular educators from the two towns. The idea was to get participants involved with separate waste collection and environment protection, and in turn to involve their students. According to the project plan, what should follow the workshop is a coordinated action for local authorities and the public utility company, along with the purchase of collection bins. Victar hopes that these steps will lead to the introduction of a separated waste collection and processing system in Beloozersk and Bereza. But he has even more on his ambitious agenda.
As someone who first attended school in communist-era Bulgaria, it was something like time travel for me to walk into a Belarusian school - even something of a thrilling experience. Welcoming me in the lobby were 'Our Pride' posters: photos of students excelling either in sports or their studies. The 'Agitation Board' was right behind, calling on students and teachers to participate in various activities ranging anywhere from theatre and concert performances to - separated-waste collection! The children appeared well disciplined and greeted strangers with courtesy and politeness. I noticed a schedule for sport courses on the corridor wall: times for football, tennis, rowing and more. With everything clean and neat, the walls and windows freshly painted, it could have been two decades ago anywhere in CEE. There was, however, one notable difference: the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Translated into Russian, the Helsinki Charter is prominently on display in the school's lobby. Who would dare suggest that no one cares about human rights anymore?
The lecture hall is full, but on this occasion the teachers are seated behind their desks. Victar lectures on and on, thus honouring the strong post-Soviet tradition of monologue rather than discussion. Also, as part of the same tradition, participants are very reluctant to stand and speak out individually; they'd rather remain within the comfort zone of the group and speak from their assigned places.
Slowly the talk moves beyond environmental issues. "A single soldier is still a soldier, but having a team makes a difference," Victar says. How can a small group of people plan a project? What funding sources are available for environmental activity within Belarus? How easy is it to obtain foreign funding for an environmental project? The answers come one by one, based on Victar's already extensive experience. By now Victar has piqued the group's interest. About midday the bravest of the teachers (mostly women of various ages) stand up and present the environmental project ideas from their groups. Victar approves of everything he hears. Again, he is optimistic, fascinated, cheerful. During the afternoon a wave of enthusiasm and ideas sweeps across the room, while teachers from various schools are working in thematic groups and discussing their first environmental action projects. "I think I'll be able to put a bit of the money from our EU budget into all these ideas," Victar whispers between presentations. "They all fit our project goal, don't they?"
Indeed they do. According to TCAS priorities, approved by EuropeAid, the project needs to be "practical and result in a measurable improvement in the quality of life for the inhabitants of the concerned municipality." And what could be more practical in Belarus these days than a small group of actively involved citizens who are convinced of their ability to change things for the better? "You don't need big money or expensive equipment to achieve change," Victar concludes. "Even a single class at school can make a huge difference." And so in turning his first workshop into a master class of active citizenship, Victar Makovchik is supplying the kind of difference his country needs most.
