Educ'alpes

A network of actors in order to develop and promote mountain education in the French Alps


This is a translation of the institutional brochure of Educ'alpes. Click HERE to download it.




What purpose?


The aim of Educ'alpes is the networking of actors from the French Alpine massif for the development and promotion of mountain education in all its diversity, with a view to sustainable development.

Educ'alpes represents an open space, which allows to mutualize services and to build common projects defined by and for the benefit of Alpine actors (a common analysis -> a diagnosis, needs -> a collective project)

Educ'alpes was created in 2004 by a small group of institutional and field actors of the French Alps. Since then, Educ'alpes has been representing an innovative approach, thanks to its theme and its territory.

As a privileged partner for both Alpine actors and institutional partners, the Network helps to get ideas from the field and connect them with territorial public policies.


Who participates in Educ'alpes?


Educ'alpes is open to every person or structure concerned by mountain education in the French Alps, without distinction of status. It currently has approximately 500 regular participants in its actions (lists of discussion, alpine meetings, collective projects, ...)
All professionals and volunteers linked to education and / or alpine mountain: 'pedagogues' (educators, organizers, teachers, mountain guides, trainers, ...); mountain professionals (guards of refuge, shepherds, mountain guides, professionals in winter sports resort, ...); decision-makers, local elected representatives, agents of public administrations and of local authothies, accommodation and heritage sites managers, protected area staff; stakeholders from different thematic fields related to the mountain (agriculture, sport, culture, tourism, art, heritage, ...); journalists, researchers, students, any interested citizen...




What values and principles?


• a functioning with very low hierarchy based on a bottom-up approach
• a permanent consultation with Alpine stakeholders and partners
participatory methods (governance, mediation)
• a flexible and reactive functioning
• thematic working groups
• a culture of link/collaboration ("working together") based on the principles of collective intelligence, equality and information and resources sharing
the diversity and the complementarity of the stakeholders
• mutualisation, synergy and partnership
• the transfer and the exchange (of know-how and acquired knowledge ...)


What objectives ... and what "effect - network"?


Allow varied stakeholders from the territory to know each other, to recognize themselves and to communicate
-> break down the barriers, put in link, bring professionals together and collaborate
Identify and make available the resources of the Alpine territory
-> identified "good practices", innovative experiences, etc.
Identify the stakes in mountain education
-> to gather and capitalize from all the questionings, perspectives, reflections and analyses
Facilitate / enrich the educational project building about the alpine mountain, strengthen mountain education
-> develop partnerships, give legibility, etc.
Accompany the rise in skills of the network's stakeholders
-> days of exchanges, training, cotraining
Develop a 'common culture' in mountain education (base of a pedagogy shared at the scale of the massif) and promote a global vision of the Alps (logic of inter-massifs and logic of sustainable development)
Generalize the educational approach in Alpine town and country planning policies
Pilot and coordinate collective projects involving a large number of the network's stakeholders


Some productions


The thematic websites of Educ'alpes

jeunes-pour-les-alpes.fr
jeunes

Site jeunes-pour-les-alpes.fr

jeunes-en-refuges.educalpes.fr
jeunes refuges

jeunes-en-refuges.educalpes.fr

refuges.educalpes.fr
refuges

refuges.educalpes.fr



pastoralisme.educalpes.fr
pasto

Site pastoralisme.educalpes.fr

chaud-pour-les-alpes.educalpes.fr
climat

chaud-pour-les-alpes.educalpes.fr








ZOOM

Mountain education

Mountain education gathers actions of information, awareness, education, training about mountain, its natural and cultural heritages and its stakes in destination to varied publics (residents, tourists, elected representatives / decision-makers, professionals, young people, etc.).
Mountain education aims in particular for the development of a strong mountain culture, a good understanding of this environment, the development of appropriate and respectful practices, the appropriation of major alpine stakes, the active participation of citizens in the future of the massif and the sustainable development in mountain areas.

More information : Click HERE to download the brochure about mountain education (in French)

Because there can be no harmonious development of the alpine space without moutain education