Dear Friends of Galapagos Infinito, 

It feels amazing to be back on the Ocean. Our community, public and private articulation has enabled us to bring the Oceanic Classroom onboard the Ballenato to the 7th graders of 5 schools of San Cristobal Island. Sailing daily for 7 days over the course of two weeks, we are reaching 108 students. For many of them it is the first time on a boat, first time visiting Playa Ochoa Beach, and first time snorkeling. 

At the helm of the boat, studying a navigational chart, spotting wildlife at sea, or exploring the habitable area of the boat, the students interact with the Capitan, deckhand and naturalist guide, learning about life at sea and the Islands’ wonders. 

Once at the beach, we implement our locally adapted Ocean Connection Workshop methodology developed by I Am Water Foundation, which we trained for as part of the Oceans For All Alliance. Our facilitators lead the students through a practice of breathing, mindfulness and yoga; followed by an engaging moment of Ocean Literacy to reflect on the benefits we receive from the Ocean, and why the Ocean needs us in return. Then we dive into the three exploration stations: water safety & snorkeling; nature walk; and intertidal exploration. After a well deserved lunch, free time to play in the sea, and a sharing circle to close our time on the beach, it’s time to get back on board and continue exploring our wild Galapagos volcanic coastlines. 

Over the next 3 months, we need to take Ballenato sailboat to Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz, to reach 400 more students before the end of the school year to reach our objective of ocean access to all 7th graders in the province. Can you help?  

Infinite gratitude, 

Noémi

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Spotlight on invaluable partners!​​

Bringing Galápagos Infinito alive is only possible through the support of many. We are happy to share with you the Puerto Ayora stores who are helping us showcase our work and help us generate resources for the program.

Tatoo Galápagos, Iguanas Bananas, Opuntia, Exótico, Sarah Darling, Maki Art, Galapagos Bookshop, Bohemia, Montemar EcoLuxury Villas.

These are all locally-owned businesses with creative and generous owners, deserving of as much success as we wish for Galápagos Infinito.

Inspire others!  Spread the word!

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• Invite someone to sign up to our missives;

• Tell your friends & family about us;

• Watch our videos with children, students, relatives;

• Contact us with ideas, fellow organizations, interested travelers;

• Follow us on our social media.

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Celebrating his 10th year, Captain Polo is on a sabbatical, in Galápagos!

Remember Captain Polo? He arrived to the Islands in May (see our previous missive), kicking off his sabbatical with a trip on the Dutch Tailship Oosterschelde. With the Darwin200 project he met students, learnt about conservation efforts and had a lovely chat with Sarah Darwin.

Galápagos school children have been learning about climate change this year, and here comes a surprise! Captain Polo along with the first three books of his adventures are set to light up the classrooms, accompanied by his exciting climate change adventure game that mixes snakes and ladders with trivial pursuit. Thanks to support of local teachers, we developed a useful guide which aligns the books with the local curriculum and learning skills.

Enjoy this short video of Captain Polo popping into the community library on their birthday.

For now, Captain Polo has gone off on a short escapade to Cali, Colombia! Yes, COP16 climate & biodiversity action. He hitched a ride with our dear friend Alberto Andrade, Frente Insular of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, to fly our colors and message high, and meet like-minded activists. Can’t stop him! Stay tuned for posts on our networks.

Spotlight on invaluable partners!​​

Bringing Galápagos Infinito alive is only possible through the support of many. We are happy to share with you the Puerto Ayora stores who are helping us showcase our work and help us generate resources for the program.

Tatoo Galápagos, Iguanas Bananas, Opuntia, Exótico, Sarah Darling, Maki Art, Galapagos Bookshop, Bohemia, Montemar EcoLuxury Villas.

These are all locally-owned businesses with creative and generous owners, deserving of as much success as we wish for Galápagos Infinito.

The post Captain Polo inspires Climate Action for Galapagos Students appeared first on Naveducando.

Galapagos Conservation Trust

August: In collaboration with Galapagos Conservation Trust, we held a productive 2-day working group around evaluation of environmental education initiatives bringing together actors from the Galápagos Agreement for Education from 3 islands. It sparks motivation and magic. We had experienced this in our 2020 and 2022 get-togethers. Our commitment: keep up regular meetings within our community of practice.

Catalyste+

September: With the support of Catalyste+, Isaac, an expert advisor who helped us build our strategic plan in 2023, finally made it out to the islands. He provided support to Education4Nature, El Mangle Agile Learning Center, Frente Insular RMG, Galápagos Endemik and Mycelium. By growing together we help each other through the inflection points of entrepreneurship to improve our programs, their delivery and collective return.

Oceans For All Alliance

October: Joy, learning and camaraderie grew out of the 2-week immersive Oceans For All Alliance training we received from the I AM WATER Foundation who came all the way from South Africa to share their methodology. We were thrilled to be with collaborators from San Cristobal, Isabela, Ayange, Ballenita, Montañita, Manta and even Patagonia. This is just the beginning!

The post Cooperation for Sustainability in the Galapagos appeared first on Naveducando.

The post Connecting Galapagos Children with their Island aboard a Yacht appeared first on Naveducando.

Marine-Coastal Ecosystems Field Trips in the Galapagos

We provided students with a field notebook that they took with them on the June field trips on the theme of marine-coastal ecosystems and on the September field trips on the theme of responsible fishing. In total, 16 schools from the 4 islands participated in the field trips, with the support of 25 educators from different organizations who joined in to carry out the activities. We thank each of them for their dedication and interest in accompanying the students: Asociación Uniendo Fuerzas Formamos Futuro in Isabela, Education 4 Nature and Jocotoco in San Cristóbal, along with other passionate young educators, EPI-Galápagos, FCD, Frente Insular de la RMG.

In June we visited the sites of Punta Carola, La Lobería and Playa El Oro in San Cristóbal, Garrapatero, Tortuga Bay and La Ratonera in Santa Cruz, El Estero and Playa del Amor in Isabela, and La Loberia in Floreana. The children enjoyed outdoor learning and educational games that provided new perspectives on the topics covered in class.

Learning Different Forms of Fishing in the Galapagos

In September, we had the support of 10 artisanal fishermen from the Galapagos who accompanied the students to the different islands, sharing their experiences and their daily work aboard their own boats. These short trips were complemented with activities about the Galapagos Marine Reserve, the New Hermandad Reserve and different forms of fishing.

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UNESCO joins Galapagos Infinito: girls and boys navigating towards inclusive education for sustainability

The initiative now includes UNESCO support for the development of digital and in-person missions, thus accompanying this meaningful learning experience that provides tools, information and stimuli to build the experience of young scientists in creative and leadership roles.

Leer más aquí

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