Five Polish schools participating in the Schools for Sustainable Development Programme were recognised for their creativity in engaging with their local communities at an awards ceremony held in Warsaw, Poland on 8 September 2010. The prizes were presented by the Toyota Fund for Europe (TFfE) and Toyota Poland.
Cash prizes of €2,530 were presented to three schools: the private kindergarten ‘Under the Rainbow’ from Inowrocław; the Rodaki Elementary School; and the Special Educational Complex in Gorzow Wielkopolski. Middle School No 2 from Chojnow and Promary School No 118 from Wroclaw were also recognised, receiving vouchers which will enable two representatives from each school to undertake a study tour in Copenhagen, Denmark.
All Polish schools participating in the Schools Sustainable Development Programme were invited to enter the competition. The winning schools were those that had established the most effective partnerships with local institutions including businesses, governments and NGOs.
One of the most comprehensive projects recognised in the awards was the one run by the Rodaki Elementary School. The school involved the whole village in its projects, including seven other local schools who were invited to jointly create a European Ecology Club for students. Among other events, the school also staged an Open Pen Festival in which residents of Rodaki opened their homes and farms to visitors in an effort to familiarise them with local folk customs and culture.
Schools for Sustainable Development began in 2004 as a partnership between schools and about 20 Toyota dealers. It is now is active in the Czech Republic, Poland and the United Kingdom. The project is supported by the TFfE and the local Toyota network in each country. Over 30 dealerships in Poland now take part.
