L’Street escape universal com a eina d'educació ambiental per a la conscienciació de les sequeres persistents

Abstract

Droughts are becoming an increasingly urgent global issue, affecting ecosystems and communities in various ways and requiring urgent action. Environmental education is key to raising awareness and preserving water resources, encouraging sustainable water management practices. This project involves the design of an outdoor escape room (street escape) to understand the drought situation in Espluga de Francolí while promoting water conservation practices. The activity is designed to be inclusive, welcoming participants of all ages and abilities, ensuring that everyone can participate. Through various puzzles and challenges, participants explore the water cycle and learn about droughts. The main objective is to find a stolen key within a 60-minute timeframe. The street escape was tested with 6 individuals from the Aprodisca center, and feedback was collected for future evaluation and adjustment. The results show an increase in environmental awareness among participants, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in educating about droughts. Participants also expressed a positive overall experience and enthusiasm to take part in similar activities in the future. In the discussion of this project, several improvement proposals are outlined to enhance participants' experience. It is suggested to initiate the motivation process before the activity, interact more with the natural environment, and diversify the challenges to become more inclusive for individuals with visual impairments. Emphasis is placed on the need to incorporate a message promoting respect and preservation of the protected natural area where the activity takes place. Additionally, the importance of evaluating the long-term impact of the activity on participants' behavior and habits is highlighted. It is considered that the activity also aligns with the objectives of the Cooperativa Reboll, and therefore, incorporating this activity into its offerings is proposed. This would complement other activities focused on promoting environmental education in natural settings with a universal approach