Two 10th grade groups from Francisco Fernandes Lopes Secondary School (Olhão) participated in the past January 18th in Kids Dive Virtual, holding a virtual “diving session”.
This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the team was forced to adapt what was a 100% practical program into a virtual-only program.
Therefore, the first diving session took place using 360º virtual reality goggles, and was accompanied by several national and international guests, including Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea, and the BBC presenter and explorer of the National Geographic Paul Rose.
The project aims to raise awareness of the urgency of protecting the marine environment and biodiversity, promoting sustainability and contributing to the formation of a more participatory blue generation. In addition, it also intends to open the door of the underwater world to children and young people, through an educational program for the dissemination of science based on two principles: “learning by doing” and “knowing to preserve”.
This edition of the Kids Dive 2021 project involves a total of nine school groups and around 1300 students, spread across mainland Portugal and Madeira Island. The Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes School Group was invited to join this initiative at the invitation of Escola Azul, the activity being guided by the Clube de Ciências Viva.
Kids Dive is a program carried out by a team of university professors and researchers, mainly from ISPA – University Institute, integrated in MARE – Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, with a nationwide implementation as it involves six educational institutions Portuguese superiors.
The project also has partners of recognized value such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, Lisbon Zoo, among others.
Comments