Category: Education

Global Action Program (GAP) in collaboration with SOPISDEW, GB4H and VTI-BCH have again achieved another mile stone in their 2026 ESD project as they were able to organize a one-day workshop in the Yaoundé on October 17^th 2026. This training which held at sky limit nursery and primary school Monte Sante in the center region of Cameroon brough together 41 teachers from different institutions across Yaoundé VI. The workshop followed the earlier 2026 ESD project held in Douala, aimed at training teachers on how to start and manage ESD school clubs in their schools.  Presentations during at the event were not different from those on our previous 2026 ESD workshop in Douala, which were centered around understanding the concept of ESD and what it is all about, gender perspectives in ESD, and example of a previous ESD project and lessons learned, and how these teachers can use the mirror board to document their club activities

Right after the presentations, the teachers went into a world café where they formed six groups and were assigned different topics in relation to ESD for them to brainstorm and share ideas on, which included;

• Student recruitment, mobilization and motivation in school clubs
• Exchange on past best practice (things learned thar can teach and help others in the future clubs
• Club governance structures (how to involve the principal, include it in the school timetable or mobilize resources)
• Introduction of ESD concepts to the students
• Hot to build a school action plan
• Forming a new ESD club.

images of the world cafe

This was followed by a gallery walk where the teachers moved from one group to the next t read what other participants had put up on their posters.

images of the gallery walk by participants

During the seminar, the participants were given the opportunity to express their worries and equally come up with possible solutions to their worries especially in regards to convincing proprietors to buy the idea of school clubs and equally contribute or support these club activities. These discussions ended with some suggestions from the participants which included:

• Advocacy for these club activities to be included in the official Cameroon school curriculum
• Visit of the different schools by the project team for discuss with the proprietors on the importance of the project to the school, the students, the community and why they should embrace the idea in their different institutions.
• Sponsorship or support of school club’s maiden projects by the ESD project collaborating organizations as this will help parents to see the impact and will be motivated to fund or support the subsequent projects

At the end of the training, teachers were handed certificates which will serve as proof that they have been trained as school club masters. The participants expressed their gratitude for being given the opportunity to learn from the facilitators and their fellow colleagues and equally promised to implement the knowledge gotten in their different schools.

As host of ASA participants and together with the collaborating to organizations, GAP is now tasked with following up with these schools and supporting their clubs across Douala and Yoaunde, which will include school visits, follow -up meetings and checks in the miro board.

We want to thank the proprietor and management of Sky Limit Nursery and Primary School for accepting to host our workshop. Special thanks to the facilitators, the collaborating organizations and the participant teachers as they all made this a success.

 

For many schools, school clubs and its activities is just an extracurricular activity that takes children out of the classroom but then these clubs could be a hub where students and pupils build businesses, learn skills, share ideas and knowledge on how to care for their communities and the planet. That has been one of the main focus of our ESD project this year and was at the heart of our one-day training on Saturday, october 10^th 2026 at, at Mount Sinai Anglo-Saxon Nursery and Primary School in Boko, Douala.

Global Action Program (GAP) hosted the Teacher Training on Organizing and Managing ESD School Clubs, under the theme “Building the Blueprint: Practical Steps to Start and Sustain Your ESD School Clubs.” The training is part of the ASA BASIS Project and was held in partnership with SOPISDEW, VTI, GB4H and the ASA Programme. From 8 am to 4 pm, teachers and instructors from five schools in Boko came together to learn how to create and manage Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) clubs in their respective schools.

Education for Sustainable Development helps learners understand the big challenges of our time, from climate change to inequality, and gives them the skills and confidence to be part of the solution. A school club is one of the most practical ways to bring these ideas to life through students as it gives them space to lead, work as a team and turn learning into real projects. For this to be achieved, the clubs need trained teachers, clear structures and a plan, which is exactly what the training set out to provide to the participants.

A day designed for learning, sharing and doing

The program was built around two phases which were presentations and discussions. This was to make sure that the teachers do more than just listening by sharing experiences.  We had presentations with voices from across our partnership which included;

• Tah Kennette Konsum, Director of SOPISDEW, presented the ESD School Clubs Project 2026.
• Tata Charity Yenlan, Programs Manager of SOPISDEW, led the session on gender perspectives in ESD, a reminder that sustainability works best when girls and boys, women and men all have a voice.
• Ngangwa Gabriel Foryang, Communication Officer of VTI-BHCE, shared lessons learned in previous projects.
• Fabienne Molela, an ASA Program participant, spoke about experiences with school clubs.

The World Café: six tables, six conversations

The centrepiece of the afternoon which was the second part of the workshop was a World Café. Participants chose the topics that mattered most to them, sat at a table and spent 20 minutes discussing it and creating a poster. They could then move to a new table or stay where they were. Afterwards, all posters were hung around the hall for a Gallery Walk, so everyone could see the ideas generated and continue the conversation. The tables covered the key building blocks of a successful club which included;

• Introducing ESD concepts to students
• Student recruitment, mobilization and forming a school club
• Internal club governance: leaders, roles, responsibilities and settings
• External club governance: involving principals, working with the school timetable and securing resources
• How to build a school action plan
• Sharing challenge, best practices and examples of lessons learned that can be thought to others

images from the gallery walk

From training to action

The training closed with a clear road map for participating schools, in two stages. These two stages were for them to;

1. build their club: this includes recruiting interested students, establish the club, find students leaders, identify a sustainability challenge, develop a club project and an action plan
2. take action: which include implementing a student-led project, documenting activities and progress, exchanging experiences with other schools, evaluating results, challenges and lessons learned, and equally plan how the club can continue beyond the project.

posters from the world cafe

We also introduced the miro board to the teachers which is where they will continue to share and document their journey on the project and also serve as a networking hub for our partner schools.

At the end of the seminar, certificates participation were handed to the participants.  The teachers expressed their gratitude for being offered the opportunity to learn and equally promised to implement the knowledge they have gained in their respective schools. As the next step in our project, we will do follow up to ensure that these clubs are created and also monitor their club activities/projects and assistant them when needed