Marine Awareness Workshop for Educators

April 8-10,2011

Class sessions at Trott House - Marine ecosystem Jenga

This past weekend,I assisted with a Marine Conservation Workshop hosted by the NHCS Biodiversity Committee in collaboration with Dr. Kathleen Frith, Assistant Professor from the Harvard Medical School,Centre for Health and the Global Environment and Dr. Jennifer Galvin,filmaker,writer and Director of Programs/Trustee of the Henry David Thoreau Foundation. The whole weekend was painstakingly coordinated by Gill Frith and Miriam Knorr my fellow committee members who also kept us well fed with a delicious array of locally sourced meals,and to show how easily it can be done with a little forethought,the workshop was waste free. Cloth napkins were used,dinner plates,glasses and silverware. Participants were also given a refillable water bottle which they were asked to refill throughout the weekend to avoid the use of plastic water bottles.

Educators get snorkel lesson from Kathleen Frith

The aim of the 3-day weekend workshop was to provide educators on Nevis the opportunity to further their understanding about the marine environment with a particular focus on coral reefs. It was really an eye opening weekend,especially for some of the participants that had little connection with the marine environment. It’s hard to believe that living on such a small island,surrounded by reefs,there would be such a disconnect but it seems like very few people actually spend time swimming and enjoying the wonders of these underwater environments.

The presentations and imagery were great and both instructor’s showed us the films they created,“Once Upon a Tide”and “Free Swim”,but my favourite part was getting out of the classroom and diving right into things. On the Saturday we went to Oualie Beach to get the teacher’s familiar with snorkelling in a safe,shallow waters. A few had never swam before. I tried to help make some of my fellow teachers a little more at ease in the water.

It’s funny,I was asked to help as an experienced diver,I took swimming lessons when I was younger and became a PADI certified SCUBA diver over 12 years ago,yet after several diving vacations I had little confidence in myself as a swimmer. I just don’t spend enough time in the water.

The next day we took two boats out to Majors Bay in St. Kitts. Sheltered and only about 16 feet in depth,it was an ideal spot to quell some of my own fears and by the end of the day I actually felt like I had made a difference in helping others to get past those same fears. I realise my problem was not that I don’t know how to swim,it’s just that I had no confidence in myself as a swimmer and limited practice. Something I am determined to change and that is absolutely exhilarating!

Thank you for such a great weekend,Kat and Jen!