Swarovski Waterschool: Education Beyond Austrian Crystals

The Swarovski Waterschool was established in Austria in 2000 by the Swarovski family, who have been reliant on water resources since founding their crystal business in 1895. The Swarovski Waterschool program empowers young people and their communities to become water ambassadors by providing tools, resources, and training to address their local water needs. The program educates local teachers, students, and communities about sustainable water management, hygiene, and the environment. It has reached over 800,000 children in 2,500 schools across seven countries and engaged with over 23,000 teachers globally.

Swarovski Waterschool's three-pillar approach

Swarovski Waterschool was established in Austria in 2000. It was inspired by the company's reliance on the country's mountain rivers for hydroelectric power since its founding in 1895. The Swarovski Waterschool Program follows a three-pillar approach to address global water challenges and promote sustainable water management.

The first pillar is access to safe water. Swarovski Waterschool works with local partners to implement short and long-term solutions to provide schools and communities with clean drinking water. This involves identifying, establishing, and implementing solutions to water-related challenges.

The second pillar is water education. Swarovski Waterschool has developed its own curriculum, which it teaches to local educators, helping them integrate it into their lesson plans. The curriculum educates children on the importance of sanitation and the relationship between their community and their local water source. It emphasizes ensuring that women and girls receive proper training to become leaders in promoting sustainability in their communities.

The third pillar is access to sanitation facilities. Swarovski Waterschool promotes proper health amenities and hygiene education in schools, emphasizing handwashing and keeping rivers clean to foster healthy and sustainable living.

Through these three interconnected principles, Swarovski Waterschool empowers children and communities to become water ambassadors, providing them with the knowledge and tools to address their local water challenges. The program has reached almost half a million young people through 2,400 schools worldwide, with projects in Brazil, China, Uganda, and other countries.

The Swarovski Waterschool documentary

The Swarovski Waterschool is a foundation dedicated to educating children worldwide about the importance of clean water. The Swarovski Waterschool program was established in Austria in 2000 and has since evolved into a global initiative, operating within the watershed areas of the world's major rivers. The film 'Waterschool' demonstrates the power of education and how we can all be ambassadors for water conservation.

The documentary was born from the hearts and minds of seven UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television graduate students, with the mentorship of Dean Teri Schwartz and Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker. The crew travelled across five continents to capture the moving stories of young girls living along six of the world's major rivers: the Amazon, Mississippi, Danube, Nile, Ganges and Yangtze. The film gives a voice to a generation for whom the preservation of clean water is most pressing, showing how education, with the support of the business community, can transform lives and tackle pressing environmental issues.

The film follows these young women as they educate themselves and their communities about protecting clean water sources. It is a reminder that we all have the power to be ambassadors for water conservation. The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and has since been screened at other prestigious festivals, including Cannes, before its Netflix premiere in July 2018.

In addition to the feature-length documentary, Swarovski Waterschool has also released a mini-documentary focusing on its work in India. This film was released in partnership with WWF India and BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions as part of the series 'Age of Change: The Business of Survival'. It highlights the innovative efforts of Swarovski Waterschool India in addressing environmental challenges and securing a nature-positive future.

The Swarovski Foundation's educational programs

The Waterschool program, established in Austria in 2000, operates in watershed areas in eight countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, India, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA. It educates young people between the ages of 8 and 18, as well as their families and communities, about water management, hygiene, and environmental protection. The program has reached over 800,000 children in 2,500 schools and engaged with more than 23,000 teachers globally.

The Swarovski Foundation's teaching materials, "Drops of Knowledge for Rivers of Change," engage students and teachers through practical and imaginative methods, including experiments, local actions, games, music, and theater. The curriculum focuses on water and sanitation in the context of health education and is integrated into other subjects.

In addition to its educational programs, the Swarovski Foundation has partnered with Teach For All to support the recruitment and training of teachers in its network organizations in Austria, China, and Thailand. The foundation also runs Creatives for Our Futures, a global education and grant program that fosters creative solutions to sustainability issues.

The Swarovski Foundation's educational initiatives aim to address water scarcity, promote equality, and empower individuals to become stewards of their environment, making a meaningful impact on communities around the world.

The Waterschool's global reach

The Swarovski Waterschool is a global initiative that began as a local project in Austria in 2000. It has since expanded its reach to various countries, partnering with organisations to promote water education and conservation. The program has reached almost half a million young people through 2,400 schools worldwide.

The Swarovski Waterschool has established partnerships with Teach For All, a global network of 49 independent partner organisations across 49 countries. This partnership enables Teach For All's network of educators to incorporate the WATERSCHOOL documentary and educational resources into their classrooms and curriculums. The documentary, produced by Swarovski and UCLA TFT, highlights the experiences of young female students living along six major rivers worldwide and the work of the Swarovski Waterschool.

In addition to its partnership with Teach For All, the Swarovski Waterschool has collaborated with various local project partners, including Shangri-La Insitute for Sustainable Communities, World Wildlife Fund India, India Heritage Research Foundation, Raks Thai Foundation, Hohe Tauern National Park, Advocates For Water And Environment Conservation, Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust, Instituto Mureru Eco Amazonia, Fundação Amazonas Sustentável, and Earth Child Institute. These partnerships allow the Swarovski Waterschool to work within watershed areas of the world's major rivers and empower children and communities to become water ambassadors.

The Swarovski Waterschool's global reach also extends to Brazil, where children and adults participate in the program. The program's curriculum is shared internationally, teaching students how to protect water and gain access to infrastructure. By recognising the interconnectedness of water, the Swarovski Waterschool promotes responsible water use and fosters an understanding of how actions in one region can impact water globally.

Through its partnerships and educational initiatives, the Swarovski Waterschool strives to address the challenges facing the planet's freshwater supply and empower young people to practice sustainable water use. The program's three pillars of access to clean water, water education, and sanitation, hygiene, and health guide its efforts to make a positive impact on the planet and in the lives of those it reaches.

The Waterschool's local partners

The Swarovski Waterschool has numerous local partners across the world, all working to empower young people and their communities to become water ambassadors.

In Brazil, the Swarovski Foundation is working to improve water infrastructure in schools and provide safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. In India, the Swarovski Waterschool has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund and the India Heritage Research Foundation to address environmental challenges. They have also partnered with the Shangri-La Institute for Sustainable Communities and the Raks Thai Foundation.

In Uganda, the Swarovski Waterschool is working with the Advocates for Water and Environment Conservation and the Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust. In the Amazon, their local partners are the Instituto Mureru Eco Amazonia and the Fundação Amazonas Sustentável, coordinated by the Earth Child Institute.

The Swarovski Waterschool also has partnerships with Teach for All and Conservation International, which work across multiple countries. Teach for All supports the recruitment and training of teachers in 49 countries, helping students become more informed global citizens and environmental stewards. Conservation International uses science and policy to protect nature, including the mangroves on the coast of Costa Rica.

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