Docente Activo 2025: Call for Educators in La Araucanía to Participate in a Learning Experience in Nature

Until March 24, educator pairs can apply for a free training and mentorship program, offering co-learning experiences in nature to promote ecosystem care through artistic experimentation.

Promoting pedagogical initiatives that link art, science, and ecology to address socioecological challenges in different educational contexts—both formal and non-formal—is one of the objectives of the Docente Activo 2025: Art and Ecology in Education program by Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA). This year, the call is open to educators from 12 municipalities in the La Araucanía region: Carahue, Curarrehue, Freire, Villarrica, Nueva Imperial, Nueva Toltén, Padre Las Casas, Pitrufquén, Pucón, Puerto Saavedra, Temuco, and Teodoro Schmidt.

Applicants must submit a proposal by Monday, March 24, addressing their educational community through the program’s guiding theme for this year: Interdependence. This concept reminds us of the interconnected and reciprocal relationships between different beings in nature. It encourages us to develop and co-create educational methodologies that foster constructive ways of relating to ourselves and to ecosystems.

 Download and review the CALL GUIDELINES HERE.

Application form HERE.

Additionally, for those who need support with their application, an orientation session will be held on Friday, March 14, at 4:00 PM at Universidad de la Frontera in Pucón (Caupolicán 78). During this session, participants will receive guidance, and their questions will be addressed. The exact time and room details will be confirmed through our social media and website. This session will also be available online.

 Register HERE.

Docente Activo Experience

The program includes three full-day in-person sessions in April 2025:

  • Wednesday, April 9 – in Villarrica
  • Thursday, April 10 – at Bosque Pehuén, a conservation area protected by FMA and an open-air experimental laboratory for transdisciplinary conservation and research
  • Friday, April 11 – at Espacio Kodkod (Pucón), focusing on project design related to socioecological challenges in educational settings

Additionally, the program offers both in-person and online mentorship from FMA during the project development and implementation phase.

Regarding the experiences of teachers in nature, Manuela Méndez, FMA’s Director of Learning, highlighted that “the process of observing the forest allows us to learn about its multiple regeneration possibilities, the relationships between different beings, and their functions, which can inspire our educational practices.”

Requirements

  • Teacher pair: Applicants must form a team of two educators from different subject areas (e.g., Art + Math, Music + Science, Psychology + Special Education, Intercultural Pedagogy + Educational Psychology, etc.). They do not need to belong to the same institution.
  • One educator must work at an educational institution in one of the following municipalities: Carahue, Curarrehue, Freire, Villarrica, Nueva Imperial, Nueva Toltén, Padre Las Casas, Pitrufquén, Pucón, Puerto Saavedra, Temuco, or Teodoro Schmidt.
  • Project focus: The proposal must address a socio-environmental challenge that engages an educational community, aligning with this year’s theme: Interdependence.
  • Application process: Submit the online application form along with a commitment letter signed by the director of the educational institution where the project will be implemented.
  • Participation limit: Educators can participate up to twice in the program.

 All inquiries should be sent to convocatorias@fundacionmaradentro.cl by March 21.

About the Program

Since 2012, the Docente Activo program by Fundación Mar Adentro has invited educators to take part in a collective learning experience in nature, aiming to strengthen socioecological, artistic, and biocultural connections. Through artistic, scientific, and sensory activities, the program provides new tools to help teachers integrate art and ecology into their teaching practices.

Amparo Irarrázaval, the program coordinator, emphasized that the goal is to share meaningful experiences and provide tools for implementing educational methodologies that “foster active hope in the face of the socioecological crisis, promoting the formation of change agents committed to ecological, social, and educational sustainability.”

Fiorella Angelini, mediation coordinator, highlighted the significance of art-based educational methodologies within the program, stating that they “invite us to think differently and, through art, reflect on current challenges and drive innovation in education.”

Discover some of the program’s past initiatives HERE.

Watch a documentary on the previous edition of Docente Activo: Spaces of Care and Well-being to Foster Resilience.