A Guide to CEI Conference Projects

What do we mean by CEI Conference Projects?

Projects are an important part of CEI conferences.
Students work together with their teacher, local organisations, communities and other CEI delegations to work on a project which they present at the CEI annual conference.
Projects can last for longer than one year, but at the conference the progress of the project should be presented.

Note about Projects for the CEI 2020 Virtual Conference:

Given the short period available to students, if you do not have a completed project to present at the virtual conference, delegations are encouraged to join with some simple ideas and plans to a BRAINSTORM session where you can share ideas, develop your project, meet project partners and even try completing a 48hour project!

Steps to preparing a project for CEI

STEP 1: Find a delegation & brainstorm a project

To attend CEI you will need a delegation. You and some of your peers can join together and find a teacher or youth leader who is willing to help you and bring you to the CEI conference.
Once you have your delegation you need to brainstorm what your project should be. Make sure to check:

- Does it fit in with the CONFERENCE THEME for the upcoming conference? (for the upcoming conference theme please see the upcoming conference tab of the website here)

- Does it pursue a solution to an ENVIRONMENTAL or SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE in your local environment or country?

STEP 2: Develop and undertake your project

Next you need to develop your idea and undertake your project. We can recommend that you follow the FADRI system:

Find out & reach out
Analysis
Design and decision
Realization
Inspiration and reflection

1. Find out & reach out

Find out what environmental issues are important in your area or country.
Talk to local people, local organisations, friends and family and see what issues they think are important.
Do some research about these issues and think about what you can do.
Once you have done this consider reaching out to local politicians, organisations or other CEI delegations who can help you

2. Analysis

What is causing the issues?
What is the effect on the environment?
What is the effect on the society?
What do you need to solve the problem?
Who do you need to help you?

3. Design and decision

What will you do to solve the project.
Name your project and make steps of how to accomplish it.
Design and describe your idea with as much input from stakeholders as possible.
Make a timeline to implement your plan and assign tasks within your delegation.

4. Realization

Undertake your plan and have fun!
Remember you are doing a great thing for yourself, your environment and for the planet!
Take photos and videos, record your activities and keep an eye on your timeline.
Think about what results you want to present.

5. Inspiration and reflection

Share your project with your community: social media, presentations, word of mouth are all good ways to spread your message.
Reflect on your project. What did you learn? What can you do next?

STEP 3: Present your project

1. Project summary

Write your Project Summary (200-250 words) - this is a summary of your project and the steps you took to complete and share your project.
Alongside the written summary, choose 2-3 photos
This summary and these photos will be shared on the Conference Homepage, the Global Forum and may be shared on the alumni website.
A project summary template can be found here

2. Project Presentation

Each delegation or team will be required to do a 10-minute project presentation at the conference. (Practice to meet the required time limit!).
Think about the main message of your project and how to communicate this.
All formats are welcome and creativity is encouraged.
Powerpoint and Prezi are one method but could you perform a play? Make a film? Think about what is the best way to communicate your project and stick to the time limit!

3. Project Poster Exhibition*

All delegations must prepare a poster (60 cm wide / 80 cm high) containing information and pictures of the project.
Each delegation will have time to present their projects using the poster. This poster presentation should be max. 5 min. long.

*note that for the 2020 Virtual conference only the Project Summary and Project Presentation are required. Alternatively, if you do not yet have a project complete, you can attend the brainstorm session to workshop ideas for your 2021 project.

Reaching Out

A big part of CEI is sharing ideas and projects. We recommend you try to contact people, organisations, NGOs and policy and decision makers in your local area who can help you realise your project and grow the importance of your actions. Some ideas:

Contact other schools
Contact your local politician
Contact your local council
Write a letter or petition to a government body
Contact a global or local NGO
Use social media to reach out and spread your message
Contact other CEI branches or delegations and see if you can work on a project together (see link to a forum for project pairing)

If you have any other project related queries please comment or post below!