By
Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
Laoag City—Save Philippine Seas (SPS), in partnership with the U.S.
Embassy Manila, is looking for young leaders who are 18 to 23 years old
and passionate about marine conservation to participate in SEA (Sea and Earth
Advocates) Camp in 2015.
Anna
Helen Yap, social media and communications officer of SPS said the SEA Camp
aims to give young people a platform to play bigger roles in conservation.
There
will be three regional camps: one in Luzon (Batangas) on April 15-21,
Visayas (Negros Oriental) on April 27-May 3, and Mindanao (Tawi-Tawi)
on May 9-May 15. The national culminating camp will be in Palawan
on June 10-14.
SEA Camp: Empowering youth as
leaders in conservation
The Philippines is recognized as the “center of the center of
marine biodiversity” in the world, being home to about 300 species of
coral and nearly 60 % of the world's known shore fish. Many of these are
threatened or endangered due to overfishing, destructive
fishing methods, pollution, and unsustainable tourism practices.
To
conserve, protect, and restore the country’s marine resources, the Filipino
youth must be recognized not just as leaders of tomorrow, but also as leaders
of today. Only 30 participants will be chosen each from Luzon, Visayas,
and Mindanao to participate in the SEA Camp. They will spend five days immersed
in fun and educational activities like workshops, fieldwork, panel discussions,
snorkeling, and mural painting. Participants will also have the chance to take
PADI’s Discover Scuba Diving course for free. All travel, accommodation and
activity costs will be covered.
At
the end of each regional camp, the SEA camp youth will present a project
proposal geared towards coastal and marine conservation to a panel of judges.
The top 10 proposals will receive funding to help implement their projects with
assistance and guidance from local partners and SPS. All the regional
representatives with projects will once again gather for the national
culminating SEA Camp in June to give updates about their accomplishments. They
will also have the chance to receive additional funding to take their projects
further.
For
interested individuals, you may just visit SPS website www.savephilippineseas.org or
contact Anna Helen Yap thru email: alenzyap@gmail.com or
mobile no. 09228992530/09276790618.
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