Education to Action — Baja Coastal Institute

SINCE 2018 OUR PROGRAM GENERATES LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS OF THE REGION, WHERE THEY EXPLORE THEIR ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS, AND USE SCIENTIFIC TOOLS TO UNDERSTAND AND PROTECT THEIR NATURAL WEALTH.

*“In the end we will conserve only what we love;*
*we will love only what we understand;*
*and we will understand only what we are taught.”*
|Baba Dioum, 1968

COLLABORATING FOR COMMON GOOD

Located in the south of the Baja California peninsula, this beautiful region is home to small coastal communities and ranches, as well as to a great biodiversity with unique species in the world, that are protected in Natural Areas recognized as World Heritage Sites (Isla Ceralvo, Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve, and Cabo Pulmo National Park).

Today, the mega-tourism/residential expansion and open-pit mining, put at risk the supply of fresh water and the health of our ecosystems.

EDUCATION TO ACTION (ETA)

Was created to share scientific information and motivate the community to get involved and take action

THE BEGINING OF ETA

For over 3 years we have partnered with Monterey Bay Aquarium to develop the program and to expand it in the Eastern Region of BCS. Teachers and principals attended in-depth training sessions at the Aquarium. In Mexico we partnered with SEP (the Public Education Secretariat), research centers and other educational organizations, to develop curricular programs, expeditions and workshops for students and high school teachers in the region, from schools that serve around 800 young people living in 29 different communities and ranches.

STUDENTS FOR WATER IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION

We have witnessed the full positive cycle of this program around an important issue for the communities, WATER.

WORKSHOPS

Based on the ***Water in the Eastern Cape research by BCI and Legacy Group***, we developed (with the support of teachers) a curricular program on WATER, that was shared in workshops with 35 educators from Baja California Sur.

CITIZEN SCIENCE

Teachers currently engage their students to conduct surveys and collect data on the availability and quality of water in their homes. ***Citizen Science Project 2019***

EXPEDITIONS

The most motivated students participate in an expedition in which, for 4 days, they explore their aquifers and follow the course of water from the mountains to the sea. ***Water Roads Expedition Report 2019***

PROJECTS

As a result, they develop projects that they share in forums and science fairs, becoming eco-leaders for the younger generations and in their communities.

YOUNG ECO-LEADERS

One clear example of this positive impact, is the Youth for Water team from Cecyt 03 Santiago highschool, who along with their teacher (who is one of ETA’s most avid supporters) are now preparing to present their *Study of the Impact of Water Quality on the Health of the Inhabitants of the Eastern Cape of Baja California Sur*, at Expo-Sciences International in Peru and Brazil in 2022.

EDUCATIONAL PLATFORMs

Along with teachers and partner institutions, we created a Water conservation and Plastic curricula which are available now in our Educational Platforms. These sites, which are a continuous work in progress, allow us to exchange educational resources with more teachers and students, thus acting in and impacting their communities.

(Click here to access the Teacher’s platform and Student’s platform).

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

WHAT'S NEXT?

Share our curricular programs with the entire local educational community and continue to improve our online platform.
Strengthen the Environmental Educators network in Baja California Sur as well as our Young Agents of Change network (Red de Adolescentes Agentes de Cambio | RAAC).
Develop new curricular materials on topics such as biodiversity and climate change.
Continue building educational platforms by publishing content on our websites and opening spaces where teachers and students can collaborate.
Following the pandemic, as soon as we are able, we´ll go back to expeditions, camps, and fieldwork with local students and teachers.

OUR PARTNERS

“Education to Action is not just about a group of students and their teachers. These are educators who are highly committed to the more than 1,000 young people who will graduate in the coming 3 years to become decision-makers in this region, responsible for its sustainable development and prepared for climate change. It is about critical thinking, fighting for the common good and taking an active role in the management of their communities and the conservation of their natural resources. It is about fresh water, biodiversity, climate change, and the sustainability of the Southeast Region.”
Deb Zeyen
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BCI