Our colleagues in environmental education, Beáta Réka Kiss and Andrea Miholcsa, participated in a very special event, as the first Carpathian Basin Forest School Conference and Exhibition was held recently. The event was organised in Vlăhița (Harghita County) and featured presentations by experienced nature education teachers, representatives of Hungarian forest schools and experts in the field of nature conservation and human relations. The main themes of the conference were nature-based alternative education, the closeness between students and forest and the economical, social and ecological importance of forests. 

The event was extremely well received, as educators and interested people from all corners of Transylvania came to learn valuable information about subjects like the role of community forest in education and community building or the National Forestry Association’s awareness-raising initiatives. 

In the second half of the day the forest schools and organizations had the opportunity to present their activities. This was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase the educational materials we use when visiting schools and kindergartens. It was also a good chance to meet educators, learn from each other and share our common interests.