Sign4Earth: Expanding Access to Ecosystem Restoration Education in Armenia
What does Ecosystem Restoration Education (ERE) look like when every learner can participate?
Students and educators from the Yerevan Special Educational Complex for Children with Hearing Disorders.
At LEAF (Learning about Ecosystems and Forests), we believe reconnecting people with nature starts by ensuring everyone has the opportunity to learn from and care for their local ecosystems. Inclusive education is therefore a key part of our work under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In Armenia, the Sign4Earth project is helping make Ecosystem Restoration Education (ERE)more accessible for young people with hearing disabilities.
Led by ISSD in collaboration with students and educators from the Yerevan Special Educational Complex for Children with Hearing Disorders, the project is developing the first Armenian Environmental Sign Language Dictionary. Through LEAF's Ecosystem Restoration Education Localisation Programme, 150 new environmental signs have been developed as part of a wider dictionary that will ultimately include more than 500 environmental signs.
The LEAF-supported signs cover plants, flowers, and key concepts such as biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem restoration, helping learners engage with nature-based learning and better understand the world around them.
Sign4Earth shows that inclusion is about more than access to education—it is about empowering everyone to contribute to ecosystem restoration. By removing communication barriers, more young people can participate in restoring nature and shaping a sustainable future.
The environmental sign language videos are continuously being expanded and are publicly available through ISSD's YouTube playlist, providing an open educational resource for educators, learners, and the wider community.
Inspired by Sign4Earth? Join the global #GenerationRestoration Schools campaign and connect your learners with ecosystem restoration through meaningful, nature-based action. Whether you're restoring habitats, creating inclusive learning experiences, or empowering young environmental leaders, your school can help build a healthier, more resilient future for people and nature.
