How
it all began…
The Puy-de-Dôme:
home to the Water Messengers
The Massif Central, and more specifically the département
of the Puy-de-Dôme is often called “the
world’s water tower”, thanks to the dense
hydrographic network in the region. Numerous sources,
waterfalls, rivers, lakes and peat bogs… water
is everywhere! From the waters of the plateaux to the
thermal waters with their beneficial powers, the sources
in the region seem unending.
Elsewhere in the world
sources and wells are not equally distributed. Water
as a source of life can also be at the source of conflict.
Whether we live in India, Iceland or the Atlas…
we have always tried to trap and tame water. Dams, pumps,
canals, water treatment centres; there are so many different
ways to exploit this resource that we often forget how
fragile this unique and essential treasure actually
is.
The Puy-de-Dôme has decided to act to try and
develop a real awareness programme on the theme of water
preservation and distribution in an attempt to help
maintain the original purity
of rivers and streams.
As water is an abundant
resource in the Massif Central, the County Council has
turned it into an element of unity in the promotion
of the territory’s identity. The
County Council’s support also extends to projects
that encourage a better awareness of water such as the
Puy-de-Dôme’s H2O Festival which has brought
together people from the arts, sciences, business and
sports worlds each year since 1997 on the theme of water.
The County Council
and the UNESCO: a partnership
The UNESCO is particularly interested in this project
as it evokes three of the fundamental themes that make
up its own Charter: education for all, environmental
protection, and the development of solidarity around
the world. In this optic, the French National Commission
for the UNESCO suggested that the network set up around
the Water Messengers operation should further be extended
to all the schools associated with the UNESCO. This
suggestion is very much a mark of success for the operation
as it ensures that the issue will be taken up in other
schools around the world, and that the subject of water
and the stakes in terms of solidarity will continue
to be heard. Indeed the UNESCO network is made up of
over 6,600 schools of all levels in 168 countries.
The County Council
and National Education: a partnership
The Puy-de-Dôme County Council has a real determination
to get the school children of the département
actively involved in the promotion of the value of water.
Water is a vital resource not only for the Massif Central,
but also for the planet. By setting up an international
network of junior schools, the
County Council is actively encouraging a culture and
an awareness of our duties as citizens in respect to
the issues surrounding water.
A competition
was launched in the autumn of 2002 in the 86 junior
schools of the Puy-de-Dôme. The second year classes
(12/13 year-olds) were asked to participate in a think
tank about the issue of water in all its “forms”.
24 classes gave
in work that often prove to be very mature, on such
varied topics as:
Water, beliefs and customs,
Water as a vehicle of the economy,
Water, source of art and life, irrigation and cultivation.
A jury made
up of representatives of the UNESCO, scientists, members
of the Clermont-Ferrand Education authorities and other
personalities involved in water management met together
on the 11 January 2002.
10 projects were selected.
The
first classes went to their study sites, in overseas
locations.
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The
Collège Joliot-Curie (Junior School) in Aubière
Country: Iceland
Topic: “The
trials and tribulations of a molecule of water.” |
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The Collège
Molière (Junior School) in Beaumont
Country: Spain
Topic: “The cycle of water in the
city of Barcelona.” |
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The Collège
du Stade (Junior School) in Cournon-d’Auvergne
Country: Mali
Topic: “Wind for water in Mali.” |
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The Collège
de la Tour d’Auvergne (Junior School)
Country: Ivory Coast
Topic: “Beliefs and customs about
water” |
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The Collège
du Val de l’Ance (Junior School) in Saint-Anthème
Country: Chile
Topic: “Water writes my story.” |
