The educational project, which has been running for over a decade, has successfully raised awareness among more than 300 students regarding citizen participation and the environment through plantings and cleanups of natural areas. Specifically, five centers have worked on the Palancia River and one on the beach of Port de Sagunt.
The 'Participa!' initiative is based on three sessions: a theoretical one on citizen participation and local environmental issues, a second practical session involving direct intervention in the territory, and a third group communication session where students explain the importance of their actions.
Participating institutes, such as IES María Moliner, Clot del Moro, Camarena, Altos Hornos, and Jaume I, have carried out native vegetation plantings in different sections of the Palancia River, as well as cleanup drives to treat the river as a living ecosystem. The IES Camp de Morvedre has focused its efforts on the Port de Sagunt beach, planting native coastal flora to improve the dune system.
The plant species have been provided by the Centre d'Investigació i Experimentació Forestal (CIEF) of the Generalitat Valenciana and the nursery of the Servei Devesa-Albufera of the Valencia City Council. SAG has also collaborated, providing a tanker truck for watering the Palancia plantings.
The final session of the project culminates in group presentations, where students report on and explain the significance of their intervention, thus reflecting the joint effort of students and teachers in environmental awareness.
