In February 2017, the Green Bubbles team in collaboration with the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR) launched a project for Ocean literacy and marine science for the local school children. The presented Module was successful and this year saw Green Bubbles visit once again.
Our team, together with representatives from the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, marine operators and locals recently had the privilege of attending a five-day workshop hosted by Green Bubbles. The purpose was to train us, as local facilitators, in a basic Ocean Literacy and Marine Science Module which would enable us to teach the same information to the local children of Ponta Do Ouro. Through an ethos of conservation we hope to promote mindfulness in young children, so that they can learn to protect the beach and sea animals of the Reserve.
The workshop started with an open discussion about Ponta Do Ouro, our beaches and the meaning of conservation and eco-tourism. The main theme that emerged was the importance of safe and sustainable tourism for the local community and the need to preserve the natural resources that drive tourism in the area. What better place to start than educating the local children about the need to protect our seas and sea life? Through the theoretical component we learnt more about the ocean, ocean life, and the importance of ecotourism in promoting education, conservation and meeting the needs of the local community. These principles were then put into action through a fun and engaging practical component of the workshop. Under the guidance of the Green Bubbles team we, as facilitators, got to share the information we learnt with a group of local primary school children. Enabling the children to be “mini-scientists”, as we took them to the beach. Here they actively participated in collecting data from the “Sandy Beach” and “Rocky Shores” of Ponta Do Ouro. With our assistance they counted and recorded animal life, vegetation and pollution.
Now that we have shared in this fun and educational experience, it is up to us as local facilitators to continue the programme with the local children. Green Bubbles has graciously paved the way, leaving us all the materials and resources to conduct further community outreach programmes with the local children. This means we now have to collaborate with local schools to continue the programme; which involves one morning of theory and laboratory work at the Ponta Do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve Office and then another morning of practical data collection on the beach.
