As part of the "Geopark Pen Pal Exchange", 16 pupils from grades 8 and 9 have put their personal stories about the Volcanic Eifel landscape on paper - and sent a piece of the Volcanic Eifel out into the world. The international educational project was initiated by the Khon Kaen Geopark in Thailand and brings together pupils from four UNESCO Global Geoparks in Germany, Thailand and Malaysia. The aim is to promote exchange about geological diversity and the shared heritage of our planet.

The letters from our students describe their homeland - a region characterized by maars, lava flows and a lively connection between people and nature. Some texts told of volcanic eruptions, others of legends, experiments and personal experiences in the landscape.

To mark International Geological Diversity Day on October 6, all 120 or so letters were exhibited at the Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum in Khon Kaen. The letters from the Volcanic Eifel can also be seen there - a symbol of friendship and mutual learning across continents. Dr. Andreas Schüller, Managing Director of the Vulkaneifel Geopark and Nature Park, emphasizes: "Such projects show how lively geopark education can be - they connect young people, promote global understanding and make our geological diversity tangible."

The exchange program will continue throughout the school year. Pupils from the participating geoparks will continue to write letters, building bridges between regions, cultures and histories of the Earth. As a thank you, our pupils received a certificate and a dinosaur they had crocheted themselves from Khon Kaen National Park in Thailand.