If the enthusiasm of students at the Cavalinha Basic School, in Olhão, is any measure, the “Cidadania Maritime” program seems doomed to success.
The Captaincy of the Port of Olhão started on Tuesday, at this teaching establishment in Olhão, a series of actions that aim to raise awareness of the role of the Maritime Authority and safety in the aquatic environment.
The initiative was aimed at the children, who listened to what the captain of the Port of Olhão Rui Nunes Ferreira, his chief right-hand man Adão and the agent Silva from the Maritime Police had to say (almost) always with great attention. After the presentation, the students from the Cavalinha school were not shy and asked many questions, before trying out some of the means available to the Maritime Authority personnel in the region. In the end, most of the students who attended the session insisted on getting an autograph from the speakers.
An enthusiasm that went far beyond Commander Rui Ferreira's expectations, who ended up surprised by the children who surrounded him, demanding his autograph. But it's a good sign, given the goals of this initiative.
“I think we managed to have a good impact, the children showed a lot of interest. It was a very nice experience. The children, despite their natural irreverence, reacted very well, played a lot, as it is about talking about serious things while playing, and I think they took something from this about maritime citizenship», he said.
Rui Ferreira hopes that, now, the children transmit at home a little of what they have learned about the Maritime Authority, what the Maritime Police do on a daily basis, without forgetting the work they are doing off Greece, together of refugees, and on good practices to be observed in coastal areas and at sea.
Even because, despite this being a very young project, it intends to reach the population in general. “We want this to evolve much further. The Maritime Citizenship Program does not only involve these presentations at schools, we also want to clean up the Ria Formosa and give lectures. We have a series of activities planned, which will call the entire population to participate, especially the younger ones», revealed the commander of the Port of Olhão.
«Today [Tuesday] was the day minus one of this program, here in Olhão. The importance of this project justifies an official launch, which will take place on the 1st of May, with the collaboration of the Chamber of Olhão», he explained.
This project, despite coming from the Maritime Authority, intends to encourage participation, so "those who have ideas for activities can suggest them."
The official objective of the Maritime Citizenship program is to «promote a culture of safety of people and goods in the community, dynamize civility and citizenship and contribute to the affirmation of coastal areas as leisure and entertainment spaces, alerting the population to possible behaviors of risk in the areas of the Maritime Public Domain and bathing areas».
See all the photos from the first session of the «Maritime Citizenship» program:
(Photos: Hugo Rodrigues/Sul Informação)
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