Workshop in Luxor From 15. Until 18. February
Between the 5th to the 18th of February, a three-day workshop was held at the Palace of Culture in Luxor as part of the "Floating Forward" project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by Goethe-Institut Cairo. The project aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and develop sustainable solutions. Throughout the year, participants, including representatives of different age groups, Egyptian educational institutions, and local communities will take part in workshops along the Nile.
The three-day workshop in Luxor began by identifying common goals and was followed by workshops on waste management and recycling. These workshops included awareness-building workshops on recycling, personal carbon footprint (CO2 consumption of an average person), and biodiversity along the Nile. Participants gained practical experience by creating recycled products and measuring their own environmental footprint. The third day focussed on climate change, local participation, and the development of sustainable solutions. Participants worked intensively on their projects and presented their ideas at the end of the Workshop.
Through active cooperation with the rowing club in Luxor, participants also had the opportunity to play an active role in cleaning up the Nile by collecting trash along its banks. This action highlighted the commitment of the workshop participants to protecting the Nile and promoting a clean environment. The clean-up was an integral part of raising awareness of pollution and emphasizing the importance of environmentally friendly practices.
The workshop was followed by a one-day exhibition at the Palace of Culture in Luxor, to which schoolchildren and students from Luxor University were invited. The exhibition aimed to present the results of the workshop and to serve as part of an awareness-raising campaign to spread the project idea in various governorates.
The workshops will continue to be held in close cooperation with the Egyptian non-governmental organization VeryNile and the Egyptian Ministry of Education in various locations along the Nile. After the first workshop from the 15th to the 18th of February 2024 in Luxor, the workshops will continue from the 23rd to 26th of February in Qena and from the 2nd to the 5th of March in Sohag. Further events are planned in other locations along the Nile after the end of Ramadan.
In order to the explain the pollution of the Nile in a tangible way and to spread awareness of environmental issues to a wider audience, animated videos were created as part of the project. These animated videos tell the story of Nour and Abou El Nil.
Follow the story on the Goethe-Institut Cairo's instagram page here: @goetheinstitut_kairo.