Nikos Petrou, FEE Board of Directors (LEAF)
Contact innovator
Learning about Forests (LEAF)

Innovation Overview
Why did you create this innovation?
The LEAF programme rests on the belief that children need to experience nature both for themselves and for society as a whole. Over half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, a fact that strengthens the need to connect with nature. A growing body of research in the education field suggests that outdoor learning has many benefits on an educational a as well as on a personal level.
How does your innovation work in practice?
The LEAF programme has the potential to transform the quality of education by engaging children in wholesome experiences instead of sedentary and unidirectional classroom teaching and learning. Working outdoors along with others also helps build interpersonal and social skills that are being challenged with the advent of technology and increasing screen time. If well designed, outdoor actions can build strong linkages with the community and can help young people experience altruistic community service and active citizenship.
LEAF encourages environmental education through awareness-raising among students, teachers, and the wider community. It instils in students a sense of ownership of their natural surroundings, rekindling in them the wonderment which woodlands and other green spaces evoke and reminding them of the important role the environment and nature play in our lives.
How has it been spreading?
The Learning about Forests (LEAF) programme is currently being implemented in 27 countries with more than 760,000 students and 25,200 teachers involved. The outdoor education programme reaches a total of 3,700 schools and has resulted in the planting of 222,700 trees worldwide.
At the Foundation for Environmental Education we would like to keep supporting the implementation of the programme worldwide, while sharing and creating educational and training resources for students, teachers and our educational programmes for educators.
If I want to try it, what should I do?
To engage with the LEAF programme, a school shall first register with a LEAF National Operator. In countries without a LEAF National Operator, International Schools can apply to join the programme through LEAF Global, which is managed through the Foundation for Environmental Education Head Office. You can check if your country has a National Operator at: www.leaf.global/national-offices.
HundrED Academy Review
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This innovation could easily work in context (Zimbabwe) as it allows learners to have a hands-on experience with nature. Outdoor experience creates a fun environment and encourages team building.
- HundrED Academy MemberLEAF is a much-needed forest-centered innovation that has the potential for global, environmental impact. In a time when we need emphasis on and connection to nature, LEAF is a beacon for this work around the world.
- HundrED Academy Member