Campers perform an original song during the Trashion Show – Photo by Erik Kruthoff
(June 29 – July 3, 2015, Eleuthera, Bahamas)—Bahamas Plastic Movement (BPM) hosted a Plastic Pollution Education and Ocean Conservation camp at the Eleuthera Arts and Cultural Center (EACC) in Tarpum Bay. Twenty-three youth, ages 7-14, from across South Eleuthera came together to learn about plastic pollution and spark youth action and activism around the issue.
The first morning of camp started with an Ocean Connection Activity wherein students took plastics found on local beaches and were asked important questions about the plastics they see: What is it? Where did it come from? How did it get here? The science transformed into theater as the camp counsellors acted out skits which integrated the new concepts. The five-day camp continued with more opportunities for young people to creatively interact with the issues of plastics pollution, including: fish dissections, trawling for plastic debris, and solution-based service projects.
Campers visited key on-island locations to better understand waste management systems. From local beaches where marine plastic pollution accumulates, to the Deep Creek landfill, to The Island School campus, young people were exposed to the problems with plastic pollution, and inspired to find real solutions that would serve their local communities and nation. The camp ended with a student-lead solution: a Trashion Fashion Show and Education Event for the community to raise awareness of plastic pollution. Campers worked together to create poems, songs and skits about the issue to present to the community. They also created jewelry and purses from plastic debris collected from the beaches.
Youth action is what makes BPM founder Kristal Ambrose most proud. “We arm students with the tools needed to make a difference in their lives, homes, schools and communities, as it relates to plastic pollution,” she explained. “With the plastic pollution crisis at the center of our curriculum, students are taken through sectors of education, science, art and activism which together spawns a plastic warrior-youth dedicated to solving this problem.”
One young plastic warrior named Jasmine Hall reflected on how the camp inspired her own empowerment, “I learned a lot about plastic pollution,” she said “but also how to become an activist.” Hall was impacted by the chance to explore the problem personally. “My favorite part of plastic camp was getting to dissect the fish’s stomach to look for plastic,” she added.
In collaboration with SPACE 2 Create, One Eleuthera, The Island School, the EACC, and The Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, this summer camp provided a unique opportunity for the youth of South Eleuthera. Will Simmons, BPM Education Officer and One Eleuthera Community Program Coordinator, explained BPM’s success with young people like Hall. “The camp has an edge not found in many environmental education programmes. It utilizes art, creativity and student-driven innovation. Teaching students about a critical environmental issue, while equipping them with the confidence, skill and knowledge to tackle that problem, is what makes BPM a model conservation and educational organization.”
For more information about Bahamas Plastic Movement visit bahamasplasticmovement.org or email bahamasplasticmovement@gmail.com
