Young people from the Algarve, some of them institutionalized, have been learning for a year about biodiversity, ocean conservation, but also about maritime-tourism activities, within the scope of the “Crescer por Mar” project, which is being promoted by the Association for Study and Conservation dos Oceanos (AECO) and involves the Pinheiro e Rosa Schools Group and the Association for the Protection of Girls and the Family, both from Faro.
Inspired «by an innovative approach to experiential learning», AECO brought together «a multidisciplinary body» of trainers about a year ago, putting them in contact «with a group of young people who wanted to develop their personal and professional skills with and for the sea".
Young people participating in this project will benefit over two years from more than 800 hours of certified and free training.
The main objective is "to train institutionalized young people, flagged or referenced by schools as being at risk for the performance of leisure, competition and professional activities related to the sea, simultaneously improving personal skills and technical-professional qualifications", according to Ricardo Barradas, project coordinator.
«During this first year of execution, it was possible to have participants practice cruise sailing, regatta sailing, interpretation of cultural and environmental heritage. But we propose to go further. We are, for example, finalizing the final details with marketing specialist Bruno Gabriel, to integrate a personal marketing module through which young people will be able to develop specific skills in terms of communication, certainly crucial for their professional future», he added.
With weekly activities, «the participants themselves recognize the innovative character of this training, which came to fill a gap in the training of technicians in these areas», highlighted the AECO.
For professor Filipe Lara, from the Pinheiro e Rosa group, the recreational nautical trainings that exist in the market, «in addition to not providing enough practical hours to train and feel capable of driving a maritime-tourist vessel in complete safety, they also they don't teach them about the other party».
And that other part is the learning that has also been acquired over the last year, namely "how to interpret our heritage, tell the history of oyster production in the region, talk about coastal dynamics, know how to observe and identify the birds that nest here in the estuary, just to give a few examples».
On the part of AECO, an invitation is made to participate, «not only to young people from the Algarve, but also to any other entities in the region that want to “grow by the sea” and contribute to its mission».
In addition to this project, the association organizes annual cleaning campaigns on the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa through the “RIA +” project, which also has the support of young enthusiasts of the sea and the conservation of marine life.
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