Understanding our surroundings is a first step toward caring for them. In communities along the coast of Manabí, children and young people took that learning further: they created stories, illustrations, and songs to share the importance of nature with their families and communities.
For more than a year, students from schools in Ayampe, Las Tunas, and Puerto Rico, alongside 20 young community members involved in the Ecological Club, participated in environmental education activities focused on local biodiversity. Topics included mangroves, migratory birds and shorebirds, mangrove-associated birds, sea turtles, blue crabs, and solid waste management.
The initiative gave participants space to express what they had learned through their own ideas and experiences. As they gained knowledge, they also took an active role as creators and environmental communicators.
Creativity as a Conservation Tool
One of the initiative’s main outcomes was the creation of five stories and three environmental songs. The stories, lyrics, and illustrations grew from the participants’ own imaginations, as they explored literature, art, and music as ways to communicate the value of the ecosystems around them.
The three songs focus on mangroves, migratory birds and shorebirds, and birds that inhabit mangrove ecosystems. Through music, participants turned their learning into messages they can share beyond the classroom.
These materials also bring their voices to others in the community. Each story and song offers an opportunity to discuss local biodiversity and the everyday actions that can help protect it.
Resources to Keep Learning
To build on this work, an environmental education manual will be developed and provided to the participating schools. This resource will enable teachers and future generations of students to continue exploring these topics and repeat the activities in the years ahead.
The aim is to leave communities with resources and skills that allow them to keep sharing what they have learned and enrich the experience through the participation of new groups.At Fundación Jocotoco, we believe environmental education becomes more powerful when communities make knowledge their own and find ways to share it.
In Manabí, that ownership is reflected in stories, songs, and illustrations created by children and young people who have much to say about the future of their local environment.The initiative was led by Fundación Progreso Comunitario Puerto López, with the participation of local organizations including Fundación Jocotoco, and was made possible through financial support from Oceans Finance Company (OFC).