By Davida Morris

It’s a New Year and we are feeling positive about the forward strides we are making with our education programmes. This month sees the roll out of our latest programme Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE).

Young Reporters for the Environment

YRE is a sister programme to Eco Schools in that it is offered by the Foundation for Environmental Education. This programme gives young people the opportunity to put their selves at the forefront of environmental issues by having them research an environmental or sustainability issue they are interested in and feel needs more attention. They then research the topic and propose solutions based on their research in the form of a written article, a video story or a photo story.

To assist students in the process we have teamed up with local journalists who will impart their skills and knowledge to students in a series of workshops. We’re so excited to give young people this empowering experience because they truly have the potential to change the world around them.

Eco-Schools

The New Year also sees us doing something else that’s new. We’re rolling out our first ever Eco Schools survey. We’re asking all our Eco Club members across the island to tell us their opinions, share with us their knowledge and what they have done for the environment. It’s the first time we’ve done such a survey and we’re looking forward to seeing what kind of impact we’re making.

There are more new things to reveal but I’ll save them for a later date. Just know that we are always looking for new ways to improve and enhance our programmes for Bermudian students and one of the ways we do just that is by seeking knowledge through professional development.

FEE Visit

This last full week of January saw Greenrock welcome back to Bermuda Mrs Laura Hickey. Laura is the Associate Vice President, Education Programmes at the National Wildlife Federation; the Senior Director of Eco Schools USA and sits on the board of Foundation for Environmental Education. Laura visited us to provide mentorship to both our Eco Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment programmes and I am so grateful for her visit.

Knowledge was imparted, questions asked and answered all with the aim of ensuring that Greenrock is able to deliver the best programmes possible. After Laura’s visit I am feeling as energised and excited as I did after the National Operators Meeting in November so I am confident that the rest of the academic year and the years to come are going to be great for learning about sustainability.