Effectiveness of the Environmental Education Program in Enhancing Preparedness of the Vulnerable Populations in Coastal Communities of Manito, Albay

Environmental educa tion (EE) in the community seeks to empower the people to take control of the environmental issues tha t a ffect their lives. Hence a well-pla nned a nd strongly supported environmental progra m ca n help people cope with environmental problems tha t confront them. A descriptive-qualita tive a nd qua ntita tive resea rch was conducted a mong the in-school-youth a nd out-of-school-youth of Ba ra ngay It-ba a nd Cawit in Ma nito, Albay to assess the effectiveness of the environmental educa tion in enha ncing the prepa redness of the vulnera ble popula tions in the coastal community of Ma nito. Da ta indica ted tha t the respondents were awa re of basic environmental issues a nd had sa tisfactory level of competence but were found to be more concerned with other issues of personal na ture. Feedbacks from the pa rticipa nts a nd observers showed tha t the EE progra m implemented was effective in prepa ring the vulnera ble popula tions for environmental disasters. Comprehension on funda mental concepts of environment a nd susta ina bility needs to be enha nced further through additional a uthentic activities. As the academe is a pa rtner in educa ting people in the community, it is also recommended tha t the academic institutions should continue to colla bora te with the local government in the municipality to implement more progra ms on environmental educa tion a nd for wider dissemina tion. Emphasis on applica tion or practice of wha t have been ta ught must be impera tive to ensure holistic a nd lifelong lea rning.