"P.L.O.U.F": 400 schoolchildren take to the water

[Press release] - Published on March 20, 2024 in Press room

The unesco icireward international center and the University of Montpellier are organizing an awareness-raising day at the Corum on March 29 for 400 schoolchildren from Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, with the "P.L.O.U.F" (Programme ludique pour explorateurs futés) program. As part of World Water Day, they will take part in various awareness-raising workshops on the theme of water resources and living organisms.

With recent events in France (extreme droughts and water restrictions in the south, flooding in the north), awareness of the effects of climate change is growing. The unesco icireward international center and the University of Montpellier are organizing "P.L.O.U.F", a fun and educational program dedicated to raising awareness among inquisitive young minds on the theme of freshwater resources and living organisms. Throughout the day, some 400 schoolchildren from Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole will take part in 25 workshops, including photo exhibitions, games, models, frescoes and experimental and artistic workshops.

The unesco icireward center and the University of Montpellier will be supported by a number of partners: Univerlacité, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole water authority, Aquatech Innovation, Artisans du Monde, BioViva, C.L.O.P.E, Co-Science, EPTB Lez and the Hérault fishing federation.

The center in a nutshell

The unesco icireward (International Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics), based in Montpellier, brings together and strengthens the collaboration of nearly 480 scientists and 180 doctoral students in 17 research laboratories. The center's scientific community thus forms a rich multidisciplinary and international network to improve our understanding of water-related issues. Research focuses on hydrological, chemical and biological sciences, as well as social sciences, to provide comprehensive expertise on the challenges of water resources: availability, quality, sharing and extreme phenomena (floods, droughts). ICIREWARD works all year round with schoolchildren, students and the general public (Water4Future program, PLOUF...).