The Innovative Educational Platform takes place in Oman, powered by Polyeco Gulf, Orpic, and the North Al Batinah Directorate General of Education
As part of their values in serving Oman and customers with pride, Orpic in collaboration with Polyeco Gulf and the North Al Batinah Directorate General of Education present the PCAI educational program in Oman for the first time. After its first successful implementation in Greece, the environmental program takes place in two different schools this July focusing on the concepts of recycling and the conservation of public utilities. On this occasion, the students of the program will conduct site visits, will participate in workshops, and will develop solutions for environmental issues that, at the end of the program, are going to be captured on short animated films.
The Collaboration of Orpic with Polyeco Gulf
POLYECO GULF L.L.C. was founded in 2015 in Muscat, Oman. The company was created in the context of POLYECOGROUP International Development that has established an extensive network of companies undertaking major environmental projects and making it one of the largest new entrants in the International Hazardous Waste Management Area, as well as providing services to all types of onshore and offshore facilities including oil terminals, production platforms, refineries, shipyards, oil recovery plants, power stations, light and heavy industries, ports, harbours and marinas.
In the context of Polyeco’s Corporate Social Responsibility, Mr. Athanasios Polychronopoulos, Executive Chairman of Polyeco Group, created the PCAI in 2014 as a result of his genuine belief that art is the best tool to stimulate dialogue about critical environmental issues. The transition to moving image in the last decades as a dominant expressive medium is the main reason for PCAI’s primary focus on video and film. PCAI directly commissions international and Greek artists to create artworks on environmental issues while also feeding on issues of artistic practice. Up to today, PCAI has commissioned 14 moving image projects by renowned Greek and international artists and collaborates and supports organizations and artists through a wide range of activities. With commitment and sensitivity to its role in society, PCAI also organizes and implements PCAI Junior, a series of educational programs for children designed to increase environmental awareness through digital art.
In March 2018 Polyeco Gulf and Orpic decided to collaborate and present the innovative educational platform in Oman. The selected institutions for the First PCAI Junior in Oman were the Al Rakha and the Qais bin Saad Schools; the whole project developed under the support of the Directorate General of Education in North Batinah.
The PCAI educational program and its implementation in Oman
The experienced PCAI Junior team of educators and artists implement the program in two summer schools from July 8 to July 12, 2018; The program’s fundamental agenda is experiential learning and the basic tool for this achievement is “learning through playing”.
All activities are site specific, thus enabling students to recognize the environmental threats of their area of residence, propose solutions and, finally, capture them in a short film.
This summer, PCAI Junior works with two age groups addressing different environmental issues.
The Plastic Bag program (Primary school)
After a long discussion about the plastic bag and it’s negative impacts in everyday life, the group of children is asked to propose simple ways of dealing with this matter.
In order to form a story the children are introduced to the marine life of the area of Oman and they learn about specific species that are affected from the use of bags through a collection of videos and presentations from the educators. Since the group has gathered the information, the children form their own story using various (art and moving image) techniques that they learn during the next days. The final outcome of this process is an educational short film that is created by children and it is concerns and can be simply comprehended by other children.
PCAI’s fundamental scope is to reinforce environmental awareness, enabling young citizens to feel more responsible for life and their surroundings.
A Strategic Recycling Program (High school)
Discussing about recycle, reuse, reduce and refuse children become familiar with the terms and their significant importance in every day life. As a second stage the group is asked to produce ideas about reuse and present them in class. Through this process the group has the opportunity to think critically and actually understand the meaning of reusing an object when transforming it into something new. During the next steps, children form their narrative, set the plot, create the characters, choose one environmental issue and propose ways to overcome it.
On both cases the final films become part of the PCAI’s moving image archive and its ecological film collection made by children, for children; a unique archive that will travel to cultural institutions and kid’s and environmental film festivals all over the world promoting environmental awareness through digital art and film. On the last day of the program PCAI has been awarded by local authorities for its educational platform and its contribution to increasing environmental awareness.
