What an AWESOME few weeks! I was joined by newly appointed AfriOceans environmental educators Naomi Mdayi and Monica Sokudela, and together with Ishmael Sabodien, we have forged a strong, tough and powerful team. We have set up 12 Blue school AWEsome tribes in Cape Town’s South Peninsula, reaching over 400 Primary school learners every week in the AfriOceans Warriors AWEsome programme, sponsored by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).
Registered Blue Schools taking part include:
1.Zerilda Park Primary School, Lavender Hill 2.Hillwood Primary School, Lavender Hill 3. Levana Primary School, Lavender Hill 4. Prince George Primary School, Lavender Hill 5. Kirstenhof Primary School, Kirstenhof.6. Westlake Primary School, Westlake 7. St. James Primary School, Kalk Bay 8. Ukhanyo Primary School, Masiphumelele 9.Kleinberg Primary School, Ocean View 10. Imhoff Waldorf Primary School, Imhoff’s Gift 11. LSEN School for Special Needs, Ocean View 12. Kommetjie Primary School, Kommetjie.
Our programme this term focussed on the individual child, the AfriOceans Warrior and their right of passage, which included getting a kelp vuvuzela, decorating it and learning to blow it. If they could do this they would become an official AfriOceans Warriors member, receive a personalised membership card and a button badge. What an awesome experience, assisted by Michael Carnegie of KELP, to get all the pieces of kelp to the schools and painted and dried in the allotted time.
I have become the dedicated taxi driver, as well as being head of education and teacher as we drive daily between schools in our new Quantum 14 seater vehicle and trailer, kindly sponsored by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund. (NLDTF). We have held mini warrior challenges to prepare our warriors for a full scale Warrior challenge next term and these activities have brought out the fighting spirit and out of the box thinking required to be a warrior. Our AfriOceans Warriors were also required to come up with names for their Tribes and practice a chant that they are required to sing at the beginning of each meeting.
Next term we will be focussing on building the knowledge base of the learners around the oceans and they will get to learn more about the rocky shores, beaches, rivers and key ocean creatures such as sharks, dolphins, whales, seals and fish and how everything is connected. We look forward to continuing and building on our exciting friendships that have grown out of our unique environmental education programme and welcome interested schools to contact us to learn how they can take part.
Last but not least, we have set up and run a very sucessful Slangkop Community tribe in Ocean View , bringing together the young and old. It is really exciting to see the older residents coming out to the regular cleanups every Saturday on the Bokramspruit. We are very proud of your efforts and shows how the AfriOceans Warriors appeals to all ages and all communities, across cultural and economic divides. AWEsome!
Thanks to all the principals and teachers from the participating schools, to the community volunteers in Ocean View and especially to our AWEsome team, led by Shark Warrior and Programme Director Lesley Rochat; Charmaine Rochat, Programme Administration, Educators Monica Sokudela, Naomi Mdayi and Ishmael Sabodien and to Michael Carnegie of KELP. Thanks also go to NGO partners Earthchild and ‘I am Somebody’.
We all look forward to the programme growing and expanding in the weeks and months ahead. We are the Voice of our Oceans.
Terry Corr, Head of Education, AfriOceans.
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