(L-R) Rotary President Derek Haines; CCMI spokesperson Jessica Bodden; Rotary Director Cathy Chestnut; CCMI CEO Jim O’Neill; CCMI Education Chair Bart Hedges; and Rotary Director Ajit Ambekar.

The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman and the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) will launch their new Eco-Weekends programme today (Friday, 16 January).

With the programme theme “Make Dreams Real”, the club said it is targeting child mortality and literacy.

“I consider that in supporting CCMI, we are actually hitting all three of the above; making dreams real for the participating students and providing environmental literacy that will equip our youth with the knowledge to better care of our islands,” said President of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Derek Haines.

“In years to come, educated youth will become fully employed and empowered youth, avoiding poverty and ensuring that child mortality does not become an issue in the Cayman Islands.”

Educating and empowering are at the forefront of the Eco-Weekend programme, the club said. For three days, the youth will be resident at the Little Cayman Research Centre with a well-developed curriculum of ecology-based topics and activities to highlight what they can do to make a difference.
The educational weekend aims to increase their overall awareness on environment and conservation. Rotary’s partnership with CCMI involves a full programme launch of the Eco-Weekends for the current school year.

“A full launch of the Eco-Weekends will have a great impact on the community as these youth apply their new knowledge,” said Jim O’Neill, CEO of CCMI.

“The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman recognised the value of this programme and embraced it with a commitment, which will establish the Eco-Weekends as a winning formula for youth, education and environment. This is a tremendous benefit to the Cayman Islands for years to come.”

The launch was originally scheduled for November 2008, but was postponed due to the passage of Hurricane Paloma, which damage CCMI’s Little Cayman Research Centre (LCRC). Electricity has recently been restored to the LCRC and the facility is now ready to accommodate the local youth.
The new schedule for this year: 16-18 January, 23-25 January, 3-5 April, 1-3 May, and 5-7 June.
During the programme, students will:

• study a wide range of topics covering marine ecology and conservation
  
• learn new field sampling techniques with the aim of improving their analytical and critical thinking skills.
  
• collect samples and work together in analyzing data from several coastal environments including the rocky shoreline and sea grass habitats.
  
• observe and study first hand the importance of mangroves to our shores and juvenile fish populations as well as how Cayman reef structure was formed.
  
• identify the common reef fish, and understanding sustainable fishing practices.

The Eco-Weekend instructors will use the Marine Park laws to help the students understand why conch, lobster and Nassau grouper populations are currently protected. At the end of the weekend, the students summarise the experience with presentations at the end of their stay.

“These students be mentally equipped with the information to make good decisions and share their new knowledge with their families and peers. We see a bright future ahead,”, Mr O’Neill said. “The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman has demonstrated their solid commitment to our local youth, the importance of education and Cayman’s environment.”

For more information on CCMI’s Eco-Weekends, please contact Sally at coppage@reefresearch.org.