Implementation of the International Project of TNMU within the Baltic University Programme

“Elements of Nature: Living in Harmony” is the name of an international project implemented under the Baltic University Program (Sweden) at TNMU together with the University of Rzeszow (Poland), whose Polish coordinator is Professor Kristina Lesniak-Mochuk. The aim of the project is the environmental education of young people, formation of a high environmental culture and environmental awareness through environmental measures. Conscious and careful attitude to nature should be developed from childhood, in the family, in preschool, school; and it is possible only with formation of children’s ecological worldview, according to which a human is able to interact with nature on the basis of understanding its laws, to cooperate with nature, but not to govern it.

“Earth, Water, Air and Fire are the four elements that connect everything in Nature and Nature with us”, this is the main motto of the project, which was implemented during October-December 2021 at the initiative of the 1^st-year students.

First-year students of the Faculty of Medicine: Sofia Chornii, Yaroslav Bilyk, Arsen Dmytryshyn and Sofia Homonets prepared and presented a number of interesting educational events for pupils of secondary schools of Ternopil. In particular, the students presented the elements of nature in the form of interesting and meaningful presentations “Magic of the Earth”, “Fire-friend, Fire-enemy”, “Who needs air?”, “Water is life”, which were aimed to proving that the environment is an integral part of our lives; that people lost their understanding that disobedience to the laws of nature disrupts the symbiosis of these four elements, turning them into destructive forces.

In addition to studying theoretical material in presentations, secondary school pupils participated in educational activities.

The pupils of grades 7-8 of the secondary school No. 5 watched a scientific and educational film about helminths and their danger to the human body. Pupils examined macropreparations of intestinal parasites and examine some representatives of flatworms using a light microscope.

The quiz “Sun” was organized among the students of the 5^th form of the secondary school No. 3. The children with great pleasure solved puzzles and crossword puzzles on the subject of the element of Fire. The highlight of the educational event was the Royal Fire Massage in the gym of the school, which was demonstrated by Natalia Davybida, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Education of TNMU.

While communicating with the school audience of primary school No. 1, medical students skilfully demonstrated experiments on the properties of air and its benefits to humans. Students participated in educational games “Yes-No”, “Cloud”, “Be attentive”, “Guess the word” with great pleasure.

The pupils of the secondary school No. 6 studied the element of water. During the educational event the university students demonstrated them the possibilities of use of water by a human, analysed the benefits and harms of this element.

The goal was achieved – the comprehensive event was quite successful. The young people who open the modernity should remember the words of the Roman thinker L. Seneca in the first century AD: “Living happily and living in harmony with nature is one and the same”.

Further implementation of the project involves organization a quest “Ecology of the metropolis”, scientific picnic “Fundamental and applied research in biology and ecology”, nature readings “Healthy youth – a healthy nation”, eco-quiz “Save the planet” for pupils and students of Ternopil and also an international research and training conference for students and young scientists in cooperation with the University of Rzeszow.