Bio-diversity

The Children Water Camps (CWC) Programme provides a fun environment for children to learn about water and its wise use and management. Eight camps are proposed in seven low income communities Matelot, East Tobago, Biche, Erin, Caura, Icacos and East Port-of-Spain under the theme, Water, Food and Me. The camps, each of which will be held over a two-week period, are highly interactive and will include classroom activities, experiments, field trips and community project and will provide information on Water and Food; Knowing Our Community Water and Food Sources; Water Cycle and Food; Water, Food and Nutrition; Water and Food Security; Watery Environment and Food; Food and Water Pollution; and Food and Water Conservation. Two field visits are planned per camp a technical field trip (which will include a food manufacturer or a model farm) or fun-with-water field trip (water parks or other water related recreational activity). Follow up activities are planned, including children teaching children activities where the campers do a session with their schools, parents and community to highlight what they have learnt during the camp. Another follow-up activity is the development of water networks within the communities that will monitor the quality of neighbouring water resources and promote activities that will improve/maintain high water quality standards. The impact of the programme is a long term one and far reaching, meant to influence people s water practices in Trinidad and Tobago communities through teaching children who, it is believed, can be key agents of change in their families/households and communities. It is hoped that lessons learnt in this Programme can be used to develop similar educational programmes for children in Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Resource materials (Water and Food Module, Factsheets, Activity Sheets, Presentations, Characters, etc.) will be developed and used in the camp and for wide distribution and use by partners and others involved in children water education activities. The IGDS/WGWN will hold discussions with the Ministry of Education on the use and distribution of Children Water Education learning and teaching tools generated in the camps in the primary school system. In addition, resources produced during the camps (children and water learning tools for children and instructors, photographs, video clips, reports, etc.) will be uploaded to the UWISpace repository1 and will be available to the online community. Also, through UWISpace and its other online presence, IGDS/WGWN will establish a collection of items from the CWC Programme for purchase to generate an income for the Programme.

Trinidad and tobago