This school transformed the forest into an open-air classroom (and was awarded a UNESCO award)

In the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, education takes a radically different form than the traditional one. In Tena, in the Kichwa Tamia Yura community, there is a school that has chosen to break down the boundaries between classroom and nature, transforming the forest into a daily learning environment. Here children and teenagers grow up surrounded by rivers, trees and paths, learning through direct experience and continuous contact with the ecosystem that surrounds them.

Founded in 2023, Bosque Escuela Tena accompanies students from nursery school to secondary school, offering an educational model based on exploration, play and the relationship with the territory. The lessons do not take place within four walls, but outdoors, where curiosity arises naturally. The objective is not only to transmit knowledge, but to train aware young people, capable of understanding the complexity of the world and taking care of nature as an integral part of their identity.

Ancestral knowledge and innovation

One of the distinctive elements of the project is the meeting between ancestral Amazonian knowledge and contemporary educational approaches. Community elders, artists and scientists actively participate in the training process, offering different and complementary points of view. This intercultural dialogue strengthens respect for diversity, stimulates critical thinking and helps students develop skills such as conflict resolution, shared leadership and ecological responsibility.

UNESCO recognition

In 2025, the Bosque Escuela Tena experience received an important international recognition: the UNESCO Prize for Global Citizenship Education (GCED). The school was selected from 150 applications from 76 countries, standing out for its ability to address global challenges such as climate change and the marginalization of indigenous communities through education. The award, awarded every two years, highlights initiatives that promote more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies.

The award-winning programme, entitled “Guardians of the forest, builders of the future”, has already involved over 110 children and young people, with the ambition of reaching many more. Growing up in close contact with the forest, students learn to feel like custodians of the environment, developing a strong sense of belonging and a global vision rooted in the local. An educational model that demonstrates how school can become a powerful tool for social transformation, capable of uniting tradition, innovation and global citizenship.

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