Full-Circle Learning

Global Problem Solvers Speak with One Voice

Planet Art, a collaborative project, united the work of eight Full-Circle Learning sites under one roof at the Zeum Museum in San Francisco’s Marcone Square. These works of art, along with those of San Francisco public school children and work collected from Costa Rican children, depicted the aspects of nature students find precious in their local environments and detailed how they pledge to protect those environments.

Participating Full-Circle Learning collaborators included students from California’s migrant community, from an international school representing the urban issues and rain forests of Brazil, from a tsunami camp and a rooftop classroom in India, from street children’s schools and other schools in Afghanistan, from a Title I school in America, and from a village school in Kenya. The results illuminated the common themes among what children value, but also revealed what young people can teach the world about the relationship of peace and the environment. For instance, elementary-school aged Afghan cattle herders’ testified, through their drawings and discussions, a new conviction to teaching peace in a world where land mines and bombs have deforested the landscape and threatened their families’ own lives.

Students from the Kivaa School, in Kenya, depicted wild animals using sand as paint, straw as lions’ manes, and other recycled ingredients that showed a commitment to recycling. Their abilities in singing and dancing on the theme of acting on their convictions earned them the special honor of performing at an event sponsored by the World Environmental Summit in Nairobi, with a Nobel prize winner and other international luminaries present.

The Planet Art activities were co-sponsored by the United Nations, the Zeum Museum, the Natural World Museum, the Baum Foundation, San Francisco agencies and the Costa Rica Conservancy, along with Full-Circle Learning, who was invited to participate in order to provide the global classroom partnerships for the project.

The exhibit traveled from San Francisco to the LA area after its summer-long tour for a second exhibit at the Calabasas Library. At this grand opening in November 2006, students from Tarzana Elementary School danced and sang about the value of collaboration. Student artist and alumni Melissa Douglas demonstrated cartooning after illustrating a bilingual Full-Circle Learning literacy book of hers, which is now benefiting students in three countries, as did illustrator Dave Endelman. The project inspired onlookers from throughout Greater Los Angeles.

In January of 2007, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) honored FCL students with this letter:

We have just finalized our evaluation of the many initiatives undertaken to commemorate World Environment Day (WED) in 2006. I was particularly pleased to note the activities organized by Full-Circle Learning. I am delighted to see that one year after the international celebrations in your beautiful city, the spirit of WED is being kept alive by your commitment.

The events organized, by your organization under your guidance as a follow-up to WED 2005, is indeed a great way to raise environmental awareness and to keep young people engaged.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to our collaboration not only this year, but for many years to come.

Click here to read about other FCL Projects.