Aarhus Information Centre Vlorë, with the support and in collaboration with REC Albania, SENiOR-A Programme, organized a training with students of Vlora University, Departament of Biology in 20.01.2015 at 11:00 a.m. This training was organized in the framework of promoting Aarhus Convention Principles with youths at the Departament of Biology. It intended to increase the knowledge of students about Aarhus Convention and its pillars, the way it can be used in practice by students and the role that students can play in adressing environmental community issues at the local or central public institutions.

This training was organized in two parts. First, it was realized a theoretical view of Aarhus Convention, its principles, rights, foundation ect. During this part students used to discuss a lot about this subject. Then in the second part it was given an exercise to the students by dividing them into three groups.

The first group would discuss about the right of information, the ways that institutions inform citizens. The second group would talk about the participation of citizens in decision making. The third group would select some environmental issues and how they would present these issues at local level.

Each group would select a facilitator to present the information. It was given 7 minutes to the groups to prepare the material. The students moved from one group to another to alternate the information. Then each group chose some environmental issues that they thought were important. Some of them were: canalization of waters, the pollution of environment, creating green spaces, cleaning rubbish , management of urban wastes ect.

The members of the groups voted for the issue they considered the most important. After the voting, the issue that was considered the most important by the students was the creation of green spaces. This issue will be developed further with the students and will be composed as a formal request for the local authority.

Vlora,  Aarhus  Information Centre, with the support and cooperation of REC Albania, has coollaborated with UV of Vlora since 2013, first through the creation of Eco-Clubs, that intends to encourage students to participate in decision making issues of local government about the enviormental issues. This Center in the past two years has organized different trainings by collaborating also with voluntaries of  the University that have given their help in this initiative.