Calling all Schools in Limerick, Louth, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Wexford and Donegal to take part in the Marine Institute Healthy Oceans Project
Supported by Leave No Trace Ireland Trainers
September 2023
Primary schools in Counties Louth, Limerick, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Wexford and Donegal are being invited to apply to compete in the this year’s Marine Institute Explorers ‘Healthy Oceans Projects’ and will be in with a chance of winning a Marine Institute Explorers Ocean Champion Award this June .
The Health Oceans Project and Awards is part of the Marine Institute funded Marine Explorers Education Programme, and the project modules will be delivered by Leave No Trace Ireland trainers around the country.
Gavin Beetlestone, Education Officer for Leave No Trace Ireland, said he was delighted with the response of schools throughout the country to the Explorers Healthy Ocean project and there are still places for schools to apply to take part in the project and awards.
“This is a fantastic fun opportunity for schools in Louth, Limerick, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Wexford and Donegal to get involved in the Explorers Project which focuses on supporting the primary school curriculum and creating positive actions to raise awareness and engagement about the ocean in the schools and their local communities.
The schools working with our Leave No Trace trainers and the Explorers Outreach Centres will be learning about the ocean and how to take action to improve ocean health” , he said.
The Explorers teams and schools will be working on the Healthy Ocean Projects over the next term where they will be able to select one of three categories to focus on. These include:
- The first includes incorporating a marine theme into a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) project.
- The second category includes developing an Ocean Literacy Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) creative project which addresses an SDG. This may be based on SDG topics such as climate change, wellness, as well as life under water.
- The final category is providing teachers and students an opportunity to complete a project outdoors, ranging from creating outdoor sculptures to beach cleans.
Patricia Orme, Director of Corporate Services at the Marine Institute said the Healthy Oceans Projects furthers the Marine Institute’s goals to increase marine education and engagement, and also encourages schools to engage with their local community.
“Through these projects we hope that the school children and their wider community will gain a greater appreciation of the importance of the ocean and an understanding of the significant impact of the ocean on our daily lives.”
There are some places still available for schools to take part and for more information see Explorers School Projects at the Explorers Education Programme www.explorers.ie
Contact:
If you’re a school or teacher based in Limerick, Louth, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Wexford or Donegal:
Gavin Beetlestone, Education Officer, Leave No Trace – [email protected]
If you’re in a different county, go to the Marine Institute website here.
