Veolia Water attaches special importance to educating children, as they are the citizens and consumers of tomorrow.
Raising Awareness Among Children "Future Citizens"
Educational initiatives on a global scale...
Water Boxes
Veolia Water provides water boxes to schools - primarily to schoolchildren aged between 9 to 11 - in those areas where the many public authorities have entrusted it to manage the water services. Since 1995, Veolia Water has distributed more than 20,000 water boxes in around twenty countries (England, Germany, China, France, United States and Morocco).
For instance, more than 230 water boxes are circulating in schools in the city of Indianapolis in the United States. Their use has been piloted in partnership with the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the largest museum for children in the world.
Tales Around the World
After "Scroll around the world" in 2004, "Streamers around the world"in 2005 and "Sketches around the world"in 2006, the campaign "Tales around the World - when artifacts tell life stories of people with nature ". This campaign enables children from five continents to share how they feel about the relationship between mankind and nature through drawings and short stories. In 2006, 33,000 children from 23 countries took part in this major campaign.
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Water boxes
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... Then followed up with local initiatives
In Great Britain
A Center to Promote Education
Since it opened in 1998, more than 65,000 people including 30,000 schoolchildren have visited the educational environmental center opened by Veolia Water at Clay Lane, just outside London. Since 2002, it has been the recipient of an Eco Centre Award. The center primarily organizes visits to water treatment plants, and offers children water related activities as part of its school program.
In addition, each year the members of the center's educational team visit more than 50 schools in order to raise awareness among children on the importance of water; to teach them that it is necessary to conserve and use water wisely; but also to work at incorporating the problems surrounding water into the national curriculum.
Teachers from 50 schools have also been able to benefit from the Center's training programs in order to be duly equipped to organize "water days" in their schools. All in all, these "water days" reach close to 10,000 children.
A Successful Animated Film
Children were especially made aware of water conservation thanks to the film "Flushed Away" produced by Dreamworks, of which Three Valleys Water was a partner.
The film tells the story of a little mouse who, accidentally flushed down the toilet, leaves his apartment in Kensington only to find himself in the streets of London where he has to learn a new way of life.
This partnership enables Three Valleys Water to get key messages across with regard to using water wisely in the home.
In Morocco - "Clean Beaches" Program
Each year, in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation, Redal, a subsidiary of Veolia Water in Morocco along with Veolia Waste Services are involved in the "Clean Beaches" Program to protect the environment. This initiative is among one of the agreed initiatives for meeting the requisite conditions to receive the Pavillon Bleu, a label which guarantees good environmental quality.
As part of this initiative, an activities program was set up to raise awareness among children aged 8 to 11 on the issues surrounding nature protection and conservation of natural resources. More than 2,000 children took part.
Websites for children
In Germany, Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB), a water operating company in Berlin, managed by Veolia Water, has developed a website for children. Through short illustrated games and with a great deal of humour, children are encouraged to learn more about water, the way in which it is made safe to drink and the steps that need to be taken to protect it etc.
In France www.aquajunior.fr is an edutainment website to help raise awareness on water conservation among children aged 7 to 12. By visiting Aquajunior.com, children can have fun while learning about water. Going through the various sections, they become aware of how fragile and scarce water is. In addition, this website contains snippets of information, animation, photos, quizzes and a test your knowledge section with "the water cycle game".
In the Czech Republic, an interactive website has been developed specifically for children. Using puzzles, quizzes and even games of skill, it aims to raise awareness among young children on the issues surrounding water.