In Mayaro, which lies in a coastal area in Trinidad and Tobago, that is severely affected by coastal erosion, national trainer Andy Paul and his team introduced the Sandwatch methodology from a theoretical perspective, as well as from a practical standpoint with a beach monitoring activity.

Student-designed activities or projects are based on the principles of scientific method: data collection, data analysis and critical thinking. Students learn to organize and prioritize their information and critically select the most relevant issues and topics.  They learn to value the principles of environmental stewardship and responsible citizenship, while developing critical thinking skills and applying them in resolving human-environment conflicts.

This national Sandwatch workshop series is the result of UNESCO’s promotion for a regional Sandwatch initiative to foster resilient coastal ecosystems and communities in the region, stimulated through a three-day workshop organized in January 2022 for UNESCO National Coordinators and ASP School Network Coordinators in the Caribbean SIDS. The national workshops in Trinidad and Tobago serves as a best practice in the region and is intended to be replicated in other Caribbean countries to encourage the mainstreaming of environmental education in the curriculum, and build a Caribbean Sandwatch community to foster knowledge exchange on the preservation of the coastal environment.

Biodiversity is on the curriculum in only one in five countries worldwide, and ocean health or climate change are addressed in the classroom in only one in two. UNESCO has therefore made it its mission to ensure that environmental education becomes a key component of school curricula by 2025, including in the Caribbean. The aim is to provide students with knowledge about the environment and sustainable development, and to make them environmentally aware citizens by taking an active role in climate protection at the local levels.

More information on Sandwatch: https://en.unesco.org/sids/sandwatch