Introducing participatory approaches to urban environmental health in education / 28.02.2022

The Jožef Stefan Institute presented its work on citizen science and participatory environmental health at an international conference, highlighting early Living Lab approaches in educational settings.

In February 2022, researchers from the Jožef Stefan Institute participated in the international e-Conference on Mitigating Contemporary Environmental Issues by Sustainable Approaches, organised by Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi. The contribution focused on exploring urban environmental stressors through a citizen science approach involving primary school pupils.

The presentation highlighted how participatory methods can be integrated into educational contexts, enabling young participants to engage directly with environmental monitoring and develop a better understanding of urban exposures. Activities with pupils demonstrated how citizen science can function not only as a research tool, but also as a means of strengthening environmental awareness and supporting learning processes.

The work also introduced the URBANOME project, where co-creation and citizen science form key components of a broader Living Lab approach. In this context, participatory activities extend beyond data collection, encouraging active involvement of participants in understanding environmental challenges and contributing to potential solutions.

Engagements such as this reflect early steps in applying Living Lab principles—bringing research into real-life settings, involving diverse participant groups, and linking scientific knowledge with education and public awareness. They also provide opportunities to exchange experiences with the wider scientific community and further develop participatory approaches to environmental health.

https://www.urbanome.eu/exploring-urban-stressors-with-jsi-jozef-stefan-institute-urbanome-partner/