Digital do-it-yourself for environmental sustainability [Online]

Are you curious about physical computing and education? Do you want to explore coding, microcontrollers and how these topics relate to environmental sustainability? 

This virtual programme will enable participants to experiment with arduinos, electronic sensors and actuators, and learn how these diy technologies can relate to environmental sustainability and conservation. It is designed for individuals with little or no experience in these areas and is accessible to all because we will be providing arduino starter kits to each participant (shipped by post).

More precisely, the program will start with an introduction to arduino, sensors actuators, physical commuting. Participants will eventually be able to create their own gadgets to monitor environmental parameters such as humidity, temperature, and a number of variables relating more specifically to water (temperature, water level). 

We will also explore projects such as Canair (https://canair.io/) or smart citizen (https://smartcitizen.me/), which are citizen science initiatives aiming to enable every person to make a contribution towards monitoring and limiting phenomena such as air pollution. We will explore how those gadgets are made and how they function and make parallels with the practical projects that we will be able to offer. We will additionally be able to explore diy technological gadgets that relate to wildfire prevention, learn how these are made and what citizen science initiatives are there on this topic. 

A separate module will be about discussing how to offer educational activities on the topics explored throughout the programme to a young audience, as well as on digital youth work more generally. 

The programme will run online during the week starting on December 2nd, 2024, every day until friday, from 6pm to 8pm.

Who Should Apply

We are looking for individuals who are:

• Interested in environmental issues, climate change, and digital do-it-yourself practises
• Interested in educating youth on digital science, environment protection and conservation
• Ready to participate in discussions and practical workshops that explore the connections between local and global environmental challenges.

At least 2 different nationalities shall be represented, namely France and Armenia.

What to Expect

Participants will:

• Learn about environmental monitoring and how this can make an impact on local and global environmental issues
• Learn the basics of arduino and physical computing
• Learn to manipulate electronic sensors and actuators and create electronic circuits
• Improve their understanding of digital youth work and which type of practices one can adopt with a young target public
• Learn to incorporate a STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) dimension into non formal education on environmental sustainability, climate change, digital Do-it-yourself

How to Apply

To apply, please fill out the online application form by October 25th, 2024. We encourage early applications as spaces are limited. Importantly each successful candidate will receive an arduino kit comprising a microcontroller and a number of electronic sensors and actuators to create the interactive gadgets that we will explore throughout the week. The kit will be shipped directly to your address.