Star International Mirdif Launchesits ‘ocean Ambassadors’ Programme

STAR INTERNATIONAL MIRDIF LAUNCHES ITS ‘OCEAN AMBASSADORS’ PROGRAMME

STAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL MIRDIF, DUBAI’S COMMUNITY-ORIENTED SCHOOL, SITUATED IN THE HEART OF MIRDIF, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF ITS FIRST-OF-A-KIND ‘OCEAN

AMBASSADORS’ PROGRAMME, WITH THE AIM OF EDUCATING STUDENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CONSERVATION FROM A YOUNG AGE.

THIS INITIATIVE WAS INSPIRED BY THE SCHOOL’S RECENT ‘DIVE FOR DEBRIS’ DRIVE, WHERE STAFF TOOK PART IN CLEANING THE ARABIAN GULF FROM LITTER, WHICH WAS FURTHER REINFORCED BY DUBAI 92’S ‘UNDERWATER GARDEN’ COMPETITION.

A passionate crew from the school’s certified divers took part in the ‘Dive for Debris’ cleanup drive at Jumeirah Beach

Star International School Mirdif decided to sign up its student body to the ‘Dubai 92 Cares’ competition for coral reef conservation to start a community-wide movement focused on social responsibility and environmental sustainability. A passionate crew from the school’s certified divers accompanied by Ms Gill Roberts, Principle of Star International School Mirdif, who is also a certified PADI IDC Staff Instructor, took part in the ‘Dive for Debris’ clean-up drive at Jumeirah Beach a few weeks back.

The initiative received a lot of praise from the school’s community and its efforts to cleanse Dubai’s coral reefs and preserve marine life for future generations. At the conclusion of the dive, Star International Mirdif’s scuba diving team had discovered a wide variety of debris, with a number of items accounting for the majority of the ocean litter, such as water bottle caps, cigarette butts and covid masks. The participating staff also ensured that they shared their insights with students upon their return, where pupils were tasked with analysing these results against global data to determine any commonalities. Furthermore, as part of Star International School Mirdif’s participation in Dubai’s 92’s ‘Underwater Garden’ competition, the school was challenged with designing an artificial coral reef that could be created and placed in the Indian Ocean off the Dibba coastline. As such, Dubai 92 joined forces with ‘Freestyle Divers’ in Dibba, where schools raised awareness about the preservation of marine life and maintained a healthy coral ecosystem.

Talking about Star International School Mirdif’s active involvement in ocean conservation, Principal Gill Roberts commented: “I believe that children need to be educators, and in order to be an educator regarding the ocean, you need to understand how the ocean works. That is why we have launched our ‘Ocean Ambassadors’ programme where we aim to teach students from an early age about the hazards that human littering causes to marine life, and underline what they can do to help protect our oceans.”

The ‘Ocean Ambassadors’ initiative will educate students about the importance and methods of keeping oceans clean and preserving marine life through extensive classroom lessons and on-field exercises, which will be held at the school’s spacious swimming pool and the Arabian Gulf.

The school was challenged with designing an artificial coral reef that could be created and placed in the Indian Ocean off the Dibba coastline

CARTOON NETWORK CLIMATE CHAMPIONS

Over the last 50 years, human activities have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to affect the global climate and, in doing so, the social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. This, by definition, means that climate change is endangering children and threatening their futures. That’s why youngsters must understand the challenges that the planet faces. With that in mind, Cartoon Network, in tandem with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has launched a new initiative to explain climate problems in ways that kids can understand. We spoke to Vanessa Brookman, Head of Kids, WarnerMedia EMEA, to find out more.

EDUAE: I understand ‘Cartoon Network Climate Champions’ was developed in tandem with WWF – how did this come about, and how has it been developed?

Vanessa: Climate change is a fundamental issue impacting our lives today, and its effect will be felt most by the younger generation. As a brand that provides original content for kids, we want to inspire them to become advocates by taking on small challenges that can make a world of difference to the health of our planet, the Earth they will inherit.

Our partnership with WWF, one of the world’s leading independent conservation organisations, was unveiled alongside the campaign on Earth Day 2021 (22 April). Eventually, the Cartoon Network Climate Champions campaign was launched across the entire EMEA region. We teamed up with WWF to provide simple and accessible explainer videos about the issues behind the climaterelated headlines in ways that kids can understand.

EDUAE: Children always learn best when they are having fun – so can you give an example of the daily Cartoon Network challenges that will motivate them to make changes that will positively impact the environment?

Vanessa: Cartoon Network’s brand-new Climate Champions microsite acts as the campaign hub with challenges, quizzes, games and videos championing sustainability. It is also promoted on the Cartoon Network channel.

The specially designed daily challenges, tested by kids for kids, are crafted to inspire and motivate young people to make changes at home, at school and in their local communities, positively impacting the environment. A real-time map demonstrates how the Climate Champions are making a difference and will provide ongoing insights and data points into the myriad ways kids are engaging in the topic from country to country.

Some of the daily challenges include: re-using and decorating leftover bottles and food containers to make imaginative plant pots; taking just one napkin tissue to reduce waste; making pet tug

We teamed up with WWF to provide simple and accessible explainer videos about the issues behind the climate-related headlines in ways that kids can understand

toys using old clothes; and buying oddly shaped fruit and veggies that might not be picked by other people.

Furthermore, we have done a survey with kids across EMEA prior to the launch of the campaign. Kids in the UAE have participated in at least one climate change activity, in which 52% of them have re-used materials. Meanwhile, 49% of the kids have tried using less water and less electricity.

EDUAE: How do you get feedback, and what has the response been like to date?

Vanessa: As of 16 June, more than 190,000 challenges were accepted and total sign-ups of 20,227 across EMEA.

As part of the campaign, Cartoon Network has also collaborated with the Digital Video team at CNN to produce a series of first-person video articles featuring young change-makers across the EMEA region to inspire the Climate Champions and motivate others to get involved. The short vignettes spotlight some of the initiatives that young Cartoon Network fans are already involved in at a grassroots level and show how they are making a difference.

EDUAE: How does the Cartoon Network lead by example? What steps does it take to ensure sustainability in its own business?

Vanessa: At WarnerMedia, sustainability is essential to our business and embedded in our culture.

We pursue innovative green production practices and implement sustainability on our sets. Last year, 36 WarnerMedia productions received Environmental Media Association Green Seals for their sustainability efforts.

We produce content that informs and inspires audiences with compelling and entertaining stories to take action on sustainability, climate action, and environmental justice. Last year, WarnerMedia received seven EMA Award nominations and won an industry-leading three EMA Awards for achievement in environmental storytelling.

We invest in programmes in the workplace that support sustainability, such as recycling and composting programmes, as well as a programme that encourages commuting to work by carpooling, walking, biking and taking public transportation.

We encourage our employees to take everyday actions to support a healthy planet for future generations. They are also presented with opportunities to volunteer around different green initiatives during working hours.

VANESSA BROOKMAN

Head of Kids, WarnerMedia EMEA

Watch Climate Champions Video APPEAR IN THE BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE