Students participate in building and mural projects

(MissionNewswire) The Ceferino Namuncurá School, located in Salta, Argentina, has transformed the school garden through the “Everything is Connected” project. Inspired by the words of the late Pope Francis, the project educated youth in ecology while promoting responsible habits, youth leadership and learning.

A Salesian noted, “One of the central elements of the project was the construction of a rainwater collection roof made from recycled plastic bottles, along with a wall of eco-bricks produced by the students themselves. The campaigns to collect, separate waste, and reuse materials involved the entire community including students, teachers, families and school staff.”

Practical workshops, led by teachers and an engineer, allowed students to actively participate in placing posts, assembling bases, designing gutters, and making eco-bricks. Each technical challenge became an opportunity to learn from experience, integrate curriculum content and strengthen collaborative work.

The Salesian added, “Students from preschool, elementary school and the high school collaborated in the creation of a mural made from recycled bottle caps depicting Pope Francis and the spirit of Laudato Si’. This collective work, created with patience and creativity, expresses the conviction that even the smallest elements — such as a bottle cap — can acquire new value when they are given new meaning through care and hope. The mural has become a permanent reminder that environmental education is not only a practice, but also a spiritual and community gesture.”

With the project finished, the space has been transformed into an open-air classroom where students can learn surrounded by plants, colors and messages that encourage ecological responsibility. Rainwater harvesting will enable sustainable practices, while daily contact with nature will strengthen the connection to the earth and the spirituality that inspires the project.

The Salesian concluded, “The ‘Everything is Connected’ project reaffirms that caring for our Common Home is an educational, community-based, and deeply Salesian act. It is a gesture that unites faith, science, creativity and service, teaching youth that transforming the world begins with transforming one’s own environment.”

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Green Alliance

Don Bosco Green Alliance – “Everything is Connected”: An eco-project at Ceferino Namuncurá School, Argentina

Salesian Missions – Argentina

World Bank – Argentina