Conservation Education in KNP
Donation protected
In 2014 I went to South Africa to pilot an idea I had for an environmental education and outreach program for local students around Kruger National Park (KNP). I hope to repeat this program and increase the number of students reached in an attempt to create educational equity in the outdoors in South Africa. To do this I need your help! The money raised will go directly to programming for the students and compensation for staff/volunteers.
I will be working with the Nsasani Trust
and the Skukuza Science Leadership Initiative, who work in collaboration with South Africa National Parks (SANParks ) to help train and empower South African students in the environmental field. The students we are targeting are high school students living nearby the park in low income areas. This project is designed to reach out to these rural high school students with a passion for science, get them into KNP and involved in environmental science and research in order to gain skills that their home schools are unable to provide them.
The goal of this project is to create a sustainable program that can promote a dialogue of conservation principles between Kruger National Park and surrounding rural communities. In addition to giving members of the community some ownership over the park’s ecosystems, the focus of the project is to give high school students without many resources the experience and skills that will help them be competitive while applying to university or jobs in the scientific field.
While in the park the students will go on game drives, learn about botony and ecosystems, learn how to conduct scientific research, and finally conduct their own research project and write a scientific paper.
In the words of previous students:
"We were around friendly and open people and had so many memories. I am surely going to miss everything about this place."
"It felt good because it was challenging, interesting, and enjoyable."
I will be working with the Nsasani Trust
and the Skukuza Science Leadership Initiative, who work in collaboration with South Africa National Parks (SANParks ) to help train and empower South African students in the environmental field. The students we are targeting are high school students living nearby the park in low income areas. This project is designed to reach out to these rural high school students with a passion for science, get them into KNP and involved in environmental science and research in order to gain skills that their home schools are unable to provide them.
The goal of this project is to create a sustainable program that can promote a dialogue of conservation principles between Kruger National Park and surrounding rural communities. In addition to giving members of the community some ownership over the park’s ecosystems, the focus of the project is to give high school students without many resources the experience and skills that will help them be competitive while applying to university or jobs in the scientific field.
While in the park the students will go on game drives, learn about botony and ecosystems, learn how to conduct scientific research, and finally conduct their own research project and write a scientific paper.
In the words of previous students:
"We were around friendly and open people and had so many memories. I am surely going to miss everything about this place."
"It felt good because it was challenging, interesting, and enjoyable."
Organizer
Eleanor Kenimer
Organizer
Alexandria, VA