The program Extra Class (www.extratrida.cz) has the aim to motivate schools to activities that lead students to gain experiences in life and acquire practical skills. The program leads students to active citizenship and the interest in their environment. The extra classes are classes of the basic and secondary schools. Under the leadership of the patron (their teacher) they start to prepare and realize projects with a positive impact on village life (possibly city district), where the school is. In the program Extra class students come up with what they want to change in the village/city district, where their school is and where they mostly even live. It could be an effort to organize an event, happening, exhibition, workshop focused on concrete skill or help to nature. The aim of the project could be even to product something or to change a look of a particular place by establishing of educational trail, planting of plant and trees, etc.
One season of the Extra Class program typically takes place in one school year. During the first half year students team under the patron leadership goes through 10 steps of the project preparation. Comprehensive plan on how to realize the activity and created promotional materials for its introduction to donors and the public are the results. If the school gains support for its intention, during the second half year the mini-project is being implemented and is finished before summer holidays.
The Extra Class project was created and in 2012 – 2020 was carried on by Non-Govermmental Organization EDUin, o. p. s. (www.eduin.cz) originally on a national level. With the departure of a strategic partner (Tesco Foundation), the program narrowed to the South Moravian Region and survived thanks to Lipka and its project. Since the summer of 2020, Lipka – a school facility for environmental education in Brno (www.lipka.cz) has completely taken over the operation of the program and website. Currently, the operation of the website and funding of the program is provided only for schools from the South Moravian Region involved in the project Implementation of KAP JMK II.
The Extra Class program is a sophisticated and instructive methodology. The program will perform student team and its patron throw the whole process of project preparation. The focus on the environment and the community around schools are also important. We want to strengthen the environmental focus by adjusting the methodology that is currently underway. As part of a project supported by the State Environmental Fund, we want to expand the Extra Class program again to a nationwide scope. We will support its dissemination by organizing seminars in the online space and in other regions, further modifications to the methodological portal and the provision of funds for the implementation of part of the mini-projects prepared by students.