Jillian Martin from the World Fisheries Trust spoke to Harbourside about the education programs that Harbourside have funded over the last few years.
Jillian Martin's role with the World Fisheries Trust (WFT) is to develop education programs for the public. The WFT was founded in 1995 and is based in Victoria. They have International projects primarily in South America but many projects locally based on our local ocean life.
The main program locally beginning in 1998 is the Seaquarium Ocean Education Project where ocean aquariums are entrusted to elementary, middle and secondary schools throughout the school year with the goal that the students learn the ecosystem and care for it. Currently, there is a seaquarium in 40 local schools and even have a mobile seaquarium that can be brought anywhere. In each Seaquarium there is science, social and emotional learning for those who interact with the tank. It is a teaching tool for teachers and offers a soothing spot where kids interact differently than with some other learning tools.
The main program locally beginning in 1998 is the Seaquarium Ocean Education Project where ocean aquariums are entrusted to elementary, middle and secondary schools throughout the school year with the goal that the students learn the ecosystem and care for it. Currently, there is a seaquarium in 40 local schools and even have a mobile seaquarium that can be brought anywhere. In each Seaquarium there is science, social and emotional learning for those who interact with the tank. It is a teaching tool for teachers and offers a soothing spot where kids interact differently than with some other learning tools.
The funds from Harbourside - In 2018, Harbourside funded two more schools with Seaquariums where they wouldn't have had the funds to set up their tanks without our support. It is noted that these two schools have a high indigenous population and many kids don't play or interact with our local oceans in their own time so these tanks had huge impacts. In 2019, Harbourside helped fund 15 community programs that were educational and impacted 330+ kids to interact in the ocean in ways they never had before.
Thank you.