Education - Practical Example
Inky Arms and his Eco-Detectives
”Inky Arms and his Eco-Detectives is a good example of
how, by using a mixture of information, awareness raising and
practical action, one can get small children to be better environmental
protectors.” This is how the Prime Minister described
Norway´s only conservationist club for children, Inky Arms
and his Eco-Detectives, in a speech to the Norwegian Storting.
The object of the organisation is to motivate children who are
interested in environmental protection by giving them a sense
of community and letting them know that they are not the only
ones who think about the environment, but that they are part of
a larger whole in which we are all responsible, regardless of
age and size. Inky Arms and his Eco-Detectives became an independent
organisation in 1994 after Bente Roestad had been given the chance
to present her fantasy figure “Inky Arms” on television
and radio and in book form. The response was so overwhelming that
the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature helped to
channel this interest into a club for children. Today, Inky Arms
and his Eco-Detectives is an independent organisation, the Norwegian
Society for the Conservation of Nature´s children´s
organisation, built up on democratic lines. The club´s 10,000
members are between five and thirteen years of age. More than
25 local branches have been formed throughout Norway. If something
is wrong, children waste no time in saying so. For this reason,
it is important for Inky Arms to keep in touch with the members.
Five employees at headquarters serve the members. They endeavour
to channel the children´s interest towards something they
can do themselves or help to influence, for example, in their
immediate environment, at school or nursery school, or at home.
It is surprising just how much influence a young enthusiast can
exercise on his or her surroundings. The best way to motivate
children is probably to tell them about our fantastic planet and
all its incredible creatures. The Inky Arms organisers thus try
not to focus too much on environmental disasters and grim prophecies,
but if members ask questions, they are given honest answers. Members
of Inky Arms and his Eco-Detectives receive a club magazine (Blekka
for members under 10 and Flaskeposten for members over 10) eight
times a year. These contain articles about animals, environmental
matters, the rain forest and a great deal about what children
can do themselves. Everyone who writes or sends drawings to Inky
Arms gets an answer.