Sandwatch at Mayaro Primary, Trinidad & Tobago
Sandwatch has resurfaced at the Mayaro Government Primary School. There are approximately thirty (30) students, three (3) teachers and some members of the public who are actively involved in the program. The group is involved in monitoring and data collection activities at the beach. We are presently in the process of conducting a recycling project using plastic waste materials to create useful and innovative items to be used in the environment. We have also had the opportunity to partner with The Kings Park Academy School in England and recently participated in Sandwatch training in Guyana.
The active members of the group enjoy being a part of this program. It has opened an avenue for communication and bonding among members as we now consider ourselves the ‘Sandwatch family’. In this family we have a common goal of making the public aware of the effects of littering, erosion and ways they can help to eliminate these issues. We are determined to find ways and means to help deal with these concerns; thus, our idea of the “Recycling Project” came into effect. Our idea of the recycling project came about after a cleanup activity called “SandSplash” which was held at Church Road in Mayaro in June 2016 in celebration of World Environmental Day. From this cleanup project we found that the most amount of trash collected were plastic materials such as; bottles, plates, cups, bags etc. Therefore, we thought if we can show the public an innovative way of recycling these plastics in a useful manner, there would be less plastic materials to be thrown into our water courses.
This program has given us numerous opportunities, which involved the partnering of the Mayaro Government Primary with the Kings Park Academy of England. This resulted in the exchange of best practices and our students and teachers have been exposed to new teaching and learning strategies. We were also very fortunate to participate in the historic Sandwatch Workshop in Guyana in October, 2016. Such are opportunities that are available to all who are part of the Sandwatch program. Let us resolved to fly the Sandwatch flag.
The Sandwatch group of Mayaro Government Primary School is determined in making a difference, one step at a time. According to Marian Wright Edelman “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time”.
By Gourie Dukeran- Ali, Sandwatch Volunteer, Mayaro Primary School, Trinidad
Teacher