New program in Mauritius encourages youth to protect coral reef
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Submitted by Danielle Zelin and Prashant Mohesh, from The Oceanic Project
#NatureForAll partner The Oceanic Project, in Mauritius, recently helped launch the Coral Squad Program.
This immersive, interactive, and creative educational program engages youth 9-17 years old in exploring the coral reefs ecosystem, understanding the threats and taking action to protect and conserve them.
The project was started by Danielle Zelin, a National Geographic Certified Educator with 25 years of experience in the educational field. She has been very involved with NatGeoEd activities and uses these experiences to create initiatives such as this one. She worked with Prashant Mohesh, The Oceanic Project Lead, Explorer, National Geographic #GenGeo, Documentary Filmmaker, and United Nations Association America Member.
This program is built around the National Geographic Learning Framework and was supported by the U.S. Embassy in the country.
Within the pilot program, activities are a mix of National Geographic activities, NOAA educational resources, NatGeoEd YouTube, TEDEd YouTube and creative activities designed by Danielle.
Planning and crafting this program was about creating a unique and explorative ‘learning’ adventure for the youth of Mauritius. They started with a pilot project, with 10 participants engaged over a three-month period, making the program an 18-hour educational journey.
This program also works towards #NatureForAll’s goal of engaging youth with important knowledge, as well as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goal #4: Quality Education. The initiative is also connected to three other goals: Climate Action (#13), Life Below Water (#14), and Life on Land (#15).
The next step of the program will be to share it locally and globally (through NatGeoEd) so it can be implemented in classrooms, after-school clubs, and youth organizations.
Danielle also developed a story map to highlight key moments from the program, creating excitement to see where the program can go from here.