The Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park is an exceptional territory, whose natural, cultural and landscape heritage must be protected and enhanced.
Thus, since our creation, welcoming and informing all audiences has been one of our fundamental vocations, transversal to our other missions and in perpetual evolution. And for this, we have more than one string to our bow!
The Park’s “Territorial Education” center: supporting, leading, involving
At the Park, the local education center loves more than anything to exchange with everyone in the Montagne de Reims! And this is no coincidence: its role is above all to make citizens proud of their territory. This involves in particular the discovery of its environment and its local know-how, access to better knowledge and understanding of its issues, the meeting of its different actors, the support of the commitment of each person or even the support changes in practice.
So every year numerous educational projects are being launched. Conducted in close collaboration with the Park's partners, they promote the participatory approach, so that each citizen can act to protect their living environment. Since 2014, a new major educational project has been implemented : “Education about the territory, sustainable development and biodiversity”.
Focused on the places where residents live, it includes tailor-made programs, built around the different themes to be covered. For each of them, a specialized animation team brings its expertise to prepare, implement and support projects, create tools, ensuring educational interventions... All, in the service of the success of each initiative!
Its main educational objectives
- Contribute to education and training citizens throughout their lives;
- Facilitate access to educational actions for all and encourage participation by transmitting values;
- To understand Man's Square in its environment and its role in the modification and preservation of this space;
- Strengthen synergies and the city/countryside link;
- Unite the actors around a shared educational project, in order to act together in favor of the ecological transition, heritage and know-how of the territory;
- Support the public policies in terms of education for the territory and sustainable development.
Its 13 educational themes
For each of the educational projects, the Territorial Education division has defined 13 main themes. These are part of the continuity of the Park's missions and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 20 Agenda30. THE climate change and citizen engagement are thus transversal to each problem.
These themes make it possible to better understand your environment and to get involved in projects relating to the issues of its territory. Depending on each of them and the level of the target audience, their content is tailor-made. Finally, other subjects can be covered on request.
- The immediate environment: its landscapes, its developments, its heritage, its history, its actors;
- The vine shapes our landscapes: from planting to processing, including climate, soil and biodiversity;
- The forest: a living world to discover throughout the seasons, the forest facing climate change;
- Sustainable food: from the land to the plate…, food waste;
- Water resources, the essential blue gold for living beings;
- The villages of the Montagne de Reims: built heritage, traditional house, history;
- Geology in Montagne de Reims;
- City-countryside exchanges;
- Inter-Park exchanges;
- Sustainable development ;
- The 4 elements around you;
- The 5 senses, relying on its immediate environment;
- Support for the creation and animation of biodiversity spaces (vegetable garden, orchard, etc.).
Its organization and animation methods
- Made to measure : projects are created with personalized tools according to requests, and co-constructed with group leaders (teachers, facilitators, educators, etc.). The locations of intervention are also adapted: Park territory, nearby or in establishments.
- From the interaction : the activities are based on popular education methods with a participatory, sensory, naturalistic, scientific, artistic approach... The sessions alternate between discovery in a real situation and discussion in the room.
- Varied rhythms : interventions can be one-off (half-day or day), or take place over several days of the school year.
Thus, education about the territory is shared and experienced on the ground, whether in the middle of the fields, the forest or around a coffee: precious moments and exchanges to germinate the desire to go further. far !
The audiences it welcomes
- The educational establishments of 1er degree (from kindergarten) and 2nd degree, teacher training;
- Extracurricular activities (socio-educational, cultural, medico-social structures, etc.);
- Training centers, companies, etc.
An agreement has also been signed between the Ministry of National Education and Youth, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion and the Federation of Regional Natural Parks of France. This defines a framework for the implementation of environmental education and sustainable development actions in regional natural parks.
Animation of the educational network
Since 2014, the Park supports voluntary educational providers as part of a collaboration agreement signed with the Sciences Marne Group of the DSDEN Marne (Directorate of Departmental National Education Services) of the Academy of Reims. This work aims to:
- Propose an educational offer adapted to the expectations of educational establishments;
- Support service providers in the construction and implementation of their activities linked to sustainable development and biodiversity;
- Create a meeting space between service providers;
- Promote collaboration and complementarity between different service providers;
- Organize and promote educational activities in the Park territory;
The voluntary providers committed to a quality educational charter, which allows them to benefit from this support and the promotion of their actions.
Raising awareness and supporting the general public
Throughout the year, the Maison du Parc in Pourcy organizes entertainment for all ages, on various subjects such as discovering nature or doing good things in the garden.
For example, its conservatory orchard has around fifty fruit trees of old local to regional varieties.
It has thus become an educational support for information actions such as the Apple Festival, which raises public awareness of conservation fruit varieties, their consumption and their maintenance. Organized every year in October during Taste Week, this event takes place in partnership with the associations “Croqueurs de pomme de la plaine champenoise” and “Lire et faire lire”.
The Maison du Parc also welcomes dedicated courses for enthusiasts or professionals (lime plaster course, local education course, etc.).
Finally, the Park regularly carries out exhibitions intended to facilitate knowledge and understanding of the riches of its territory. Please note that they can be made available free of charge to associations, communities or municipalities that request them. The catalog of exhibitions at the Park lists each of them.