I Am Water Trust (2018)

South Africa
2018-2019

In brief

The “Two Day Ocean Guardians Project” is organised by the I AM WATER TRUST, specific workshops for students using the sports yoga, swimming and snorkelling to teach beneficiaries about the importance of the ocean and therefore make the world a cleaner place.

Problem to be tackled

The vast majority of youth in South Africa has little or no access to wilderness in general and to the ocean in particular – this disconnect causes transgenerational fears of water to persist: with most not being able to swim or believing they ever could and as a result this lack of connection has direct impacts on the oceans’ wellbeing and that of the individual.

Local partner

I AM WATER implements the “Two Day Ocean Guardians Project”. The individual school workshops consist of two full school days at the beach practicing yoga-inspired stretching, breath work and mindfulness, learning about the marine ecosystems, ocean challenges and the human body’s unique adaptation to being underwater and exploring the intertidal zones and rock pools with marine experts. Snorkelling will help learning how to be confident in deeper water, swim safely, understanding the ocean better and seeing the ocean’s life.

Beneficiaries

The project primarily aims to inspire underprivileged Grade 7 students from coastal communities to connect with the ocean. Beyond the fact that the schools in these communities serve a low-income region, the other determining factor for selecting up to 30 schools is its proximity to the ocean. It is always the relevant class as a whole including teachers who benefit.

SOL’s contribution

With the support of The SOL Foundation, I AM WATER will be able to implement up to 30 two-day workshops with local schools in the year 2018 using the sports yoga, swimming and snorkelling to teach beneficiaries about the importance of the ocean and therefore make the world a cleaner place. Additionally, two Coaches Trainings will equip another up to 30 participants with the necessary tool kit to guide the local youth accordingly.

Project partner

I AM WATER Trust, established in 2010, is a registered non-profit organisation as well as a registered Public Benefit Organisation in South Africa that focuses on ocean conservation through transformative ocean experience.

Its mission is to ignite a movement of blue minds across the planet, to facilitate physical and emotional connections to the aquatic environment, to build understanding of the interdependence of healthy humans and healthy oceans and to influence behaviours to protect our global seas.

I AM WATER feel especially passionate about working with underprivileged coastal communities where, despite living walking distance to the shoreline, they often find young people who have never seen the world just beneath the waves.

I AM WATER Trust

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