Marine Ecology and self-healing. Not themes you would normally put together, right? Well, a group of 16 students proved that they can be combined. Today we met these students at the Princess Marine as they returned from a marine ecology trip to Calabash Caye. They told us how this holistic educational outing enhanced their appreciation for the environment and for themselves.
Jaen Nieto, Instructor
"It's beautiful that we are all together. Doing this for the first time is like a pilot project with the kids from 'days of healing'. And it went on like any other trip of EPI, where the students are shown the beauties of the environment. We went dolphins, we went snorkeling. Many of them didn't even know how to swim, how to snorkel, so they learnt that. And through that they saw the beauties that are under the sea. And that's the main that we cannot expect to have people protecting the environment if they haven't seen it."
Naiton Arzu, Marine Ecology Student
"This experience was very great for me because for once in my lifetime, I enjoyed myself with different people and friends that I met, and other people that I appreciate and I love."
Courtney Weatherburne
"So apart from meeting new people, what'd you learn? I mean it was an ecology trip right?"
Naiton Arzu, Marine Ecology Student
"Yes ma'am, I got to learn about the different type of dolphin and fishes. We swam and snorkeled and I learnt how to swim."
Courtney Weatherburne
"Where exactly did you go and how long the stay?"
Naiton Arzu, Marine Ecology Student
"We went to Calabash Caye and we swam every day. It was exciting."
Melissa Castillo, Marine Ecology Student
"What I learnt on this trip was about dolphin and lionfish. Also about the corals as well. They caught it for us and we took it back in the classroom. They cut it open and taught us about all the organs in it and the venous and everything. It was a great experience."
Leroy Smith, Marine Ecology Student
"My experience was very good because I saw dolphins close up and videoed them. I actually got stunned by a sea oyster because I wanted to touch. I swam with the corals. I swam all about, we had a camp fire, and it was very good. And I didn't know any of them like that and we weren't talking. But then when it became night, all of us began to talk and we had fun."
Jerry Enriquez, Program Manager, EPI
"This is our 10th group of students for the EPI course. In which we have local students from various high schools go study marine ecology at calabash Caye or Black Bird Caye. This last group was very unique, in that we gathered students from the 'Days of Healing' program and 'Restore Belize' to have this very first experience in their life. In addition to the science they were learning, we are fortunate to have instructors who are experts in yoga. So we blended yoga, meditation along marine ecology. And so as you heard from the students it was a very unique, very exciting program."
Restore Belize and Days of Healing were involved in this initiative.
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