An initiative by schoolchildren from Brno-Líšeň has been listed among the top ten positive impact projects in the Czech Republic this year, as part of an annual competition run by the Centre for Democratic Education (CEDU), which supports children who are active in changing their surroundings and putting democratic principles into practice. The children raised CZK 47,000 to support Lamacentrum Hády, a sanctuary for llamas in the hills above Líšeň dedicated to nature protection and environmental education.
For their project “The Broken Llama, or How Líšeň Schoolchildren Helped Llamas”, the local student parliament organized a collection of things that people do not use at home, from books to plants to sports equipment. These were then sold at farmers’ markets, with the proceeds donated to Lamacentrum Hády.
School parliaments from several Brno schools participated in the project, demonstrating that cooperation and initiative have a real impact.
“This event was not just about financial assistance – it was primarily the culmination of the year-long work of the student parliaments, whose members went through the entire process themselves: from the initial idea, through democratic voting, to fine-tuning the details and the actual implementation,” reported the students and teachers involved in the project.
According to CEDU director Tomáš Hazlbauer, such experiences are of fundamental importance, as “when children see that their idea has a real impact and can achieve concrete change together, they gain experience that shapes them for life.”
During the competition, the team also attended professional workshops about video creation and presentation skills, which helped them to present their project convincingly.
The ceremonial final of the competition will take place on 15 April in the Czech Senate. For the children, this will be a unique experience to present their projects in front of a professional jury and the public. The winner will be partly decided by the public, who can express their support for student projects via the CEDU YouTube channel until 9pm tomorrow evening.
