Blue Halo Barbuda and Fish’n Fins Hosted Kids Ocean Camp on Barbuda
Twenty-six children participated in the Kids Ocean Camp 2016 last week on Barbuda. For the fourth consecutive year, the camp provided students of Holy Trinity School with the opportunity to explore Barbuda’s marine environment first-hand through ocean-themed activities, lessons and field trips.
Blue Halo Barbuda hosted this week-long camp, led by Veta Wade, founder of Aqua Montserrat and Fish’nFins. The camp focused on ocean conservation topics and marine biology around Barbuda. The camp also included swimming, snorkeling field trips to local beaches, a boat trip to learn about the Magnificent Frigatebird Sanctuary in the Codrington Lagoon, and a beach cleanup at Two Foot Bay.
Miss Wade said “This camp is a great example of how shared love of the ocean, and collaboration between islands can empower, inspire and educate the future generation and our people. I look forward to seeing more partnerships like this throughout the Caribbean as we work to protect our most valuable resource."
Since the start of Barbuda Blue Halo in 2012 the Waitt Institute has hosted the kids’ ocean summer camps every summer on Barbuda. After introducing ocean science topics in a morning session, students take field trips every afternoon to a different part of the island for activities such as snorkeling, beach cleanups, and playing ocean conservation-themed games about the ocean, in the ocean.
“These camps get students out of the classroom and encourage hands-on activities” says Ute Zischka, Communication & Outreach Manager at the Waitt Institute. “The Waitt Institute partners with governments to develop and implement sustainable ocean policies. We strongly believe that educating communities about the ocean is key to fostering a generation of ocean leaders and ensuring sustainable resource use in the long run.“
"It was a pleasure to have Fish N' Fins apart of the Blue Halo camp activities. The children learned a significant amount of ocean based activities and developed a passion for ocean protection" said Rawle Punter, Fisheries Assistant.
Mr Punter added: "The interaction was wonderful, the children showed great interest in the class presentation and activities and we're even more excited about the beach cleanups and ocean cleanup. With continued cooperation we'd be able to see a significant improvement on our Marine ecosystems. What they learned will have a lasting effect I was even met by parents and others who were interested in continuing the camp."
