Exnora combines forces with educational institutions to realize the common mission of developing the students' resource and through them build a strong nation to protect, preserve and promote nature.

"Catch them young and watch them grow." Today's students are tomorrow's citizens. Those who are in schools and colleges today are going to be the future ministers, administrators, judges, scientists, engineers, doctors, chartered accountants, lawyers, officers, workers, etc. Exnora stresses the importance of imbibing moral inputs into students that would mould them as good citizens and good leaders of the future.

In order to realize this objective, the students can be asked to join the Students' Exnora of their School or College, which has various types of activities. They can form one if it is not there. They are bound to equip themselves on the important subject called Environment.

With the accelerated environmental degradation that is taking place, knowledge on types of pollutions and possession of various solutions is looked as an advantage not only from the commercial point of view but also from the angle of personal benefit to students by way of employment opportunities. Students should learn every thing on environment as they learn languages and computer, which will be considered as an additional advantage from the viewpoint of getting employment.

Students' Exnora has very many exciting, educative and self-confidence boosting activities. Students' Exnora will play the pivotal role in spreading Exnora's environmental messages and spearheading its various activities.

If you wish to start a Students' Exnora in your school, please click here to contact us or call on us at

Exnora International
#20, Giriappa Road, T Nagar,
Chennai 600017.
Phone 91 44 2815 3376 / 91 44 2815 3377 / 91 44 2475 9477
Tele Fax 91 44 4219 3595
E-mail exnora@gmail.com

What is STEP?

Student Exnora Program (STEP) for Environmental Education is Exnora's voluntary, non-formal environmental education program, where we reach students in schools and colleges and sensitize them on various environmental issues perturbing the world today.

STEP is a hands on program in environmental education that has excited teachers and children in Chennai. Students are taken on field expeditions where they get involved in environmental issues in the immediate neighbourhood and understand the web of ecology. Developed by EXNORA, this program is being implemented in a number of schools in Chennai and now plans of expansion to some other cities are underway.

Teachers coordinating STEP are volunteers and do this outside school hours on special Saturdays (holidays). They are not all Science teachers, but range from Language, to History to Music teachers committed to the cause. We train them through workshops on environment beginning of every year. Our teachers don't just teach, they learn a great deal too.

What are the aims of STEP?

• To create environmental awareness among students. (They are sensitized to negative and positive changes in their environment through exposure to nature and hands-on environmental work.)
• To encourage students to participate in environmental protection (They are shown ways to prevent environmental degradation and involved in projects like wetland restoration).
• To develop an environmental database through student participation (Students are taught to document their findings - eg. resource mapping - a useful tool for advocacy.)

What are the methods used by STEP?

1. Games and classroom discussions
2. Trekking-Nature Camps
3. Field Visits
4. Surveys - Seminars, Workshops
5. Door-to-door campaigns
6. Application of classroom knowledge
7. Awareness Creation

What do our teachers gain from STEP?

1. Immense satisfaction. The immediate results from activities and the feeling that they are a part of that effort inspire them to attend teachers meeting every month. Some of them are extraordinarily enthusiastic and involve their entire families.
2. Teachers have formed a strong community where they exchange ideas and keep the programme alive. Exnora, through its own contacts and networks nationally and internationally, gives them opportunities to attend environmental workshops, which they enjoy and greatly benefit from.
3. Today, it has become an issue of pride for schools and teachers to be part of STEP.

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