Qatar Academy Doha officials and students with the green flag.
Qatar Academy Doha (QAD) Primary and Qatar Leadership Academy (QLA) have been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag by Qatar Green Building Council — making them the first Qatar Foundation schools to be recognized by the initiative.
As part of the Eco-School programme, schools are required to complete seven steps before applying for the award, which include: Form an Eco Committee; Carry out a Sustainability Audit; Action Plan; Monitor and Evaluate; Curriculum Work; Inform and Involve; and Produce an Eco Code. Elizabeth Kennedy, Wellbeing Facilitator at Qatar Academy Doha (QAD) Primary — which is part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pe-University Education (PUE) — said: “We took a holistic and heartful approach to what it really meant to be an eco-school, and that came right down to our mission and vision — to really understand who we are and what we do.” QAD Primary’s tagline is “cultivating a sustainable mindset”, as, according to Kennedy, changing outlooks and attitudes is vital in order to create impactful change – and to drive long-lasting change within the school’s community. “Activities are locked in time and space,” she explained.
“Dayto-day living is where we will have sustained change. And that is what we are really focused on. Yes, we have activities at school, and yes, we participate in Qatar Sustainability Week and Earth Day. But, for us, changing mindsets and cultivating a lifestyle approach is where we have had the biggest impact.”
An important component of the award for QAD Primary is empowering teachers to empower students, and this includes student leadership. Featuring four branches – Student Council, House Captains, EcoWarriors, and Activists in Action – the system has sustainability weaved into its fabric. The award is a two-year process, and while COVID-19 has created challenges, it has forced the children to become more creative, which has led to even more collaborative opportunities. “Online meetings have become a regular occurrence,” said Kennedy. “The children are learning how to use Canva and different animators to make online content for their social media pages – they have become very skilled in this area.”
All QF schools are undergoing the process of Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation, and are on course to achieve this by 2022. As one of the first QF schools to receive the award, Kennedy says it serves as an opportunity to help other schools within the PUE ecosystem: “We are so proud of our students and our parent community – and all the support that they’ve given us. We need to work together as sister schools, to inspire each other.”
Jameel Al Shammari, Director, QLA, said: “We are proud to receive the Eco-School Green Flag from Qatar Green Building Council. “It is the result of a lot of hard work from our students and teachers, who are striving to highlight the importance of environmental sustainability and water conservation, as well as mitigate climate change. To achieve this, we have embedded these principles within all our programs across the curriculum at Qatar Leadership Academy.”
