Fish 'n Fins builds capacity for ocean conservation among Montserrat's Youth.

Veta Wade, Founder/Director Fish ‘n Fins Inc. & Co-Author, Neilson Duberry, Program Coordinator, Fish ‘n Fins Inc.

This is a story from our Ocean Challenge partner Fish ‘n Fins Inc. Your participation in the Ocean Challenge has helped to support their work!

Since being a lucky grantee of the Bezos Family Foundation, Fish ‘n Fins Inc. have actively engaging over 150 students in preparation for May 3rd to 5th, the dates for Montserrat’s first STEAM Festival. The science and art weekender will be powered under the theme of SEA Debris. Various stakeholders in the public and private sector have also been encouraged to exhibit and participate.

Just before STEAM Fest, will be our largest Kids Easter Ocean Camp to date. Fifty, 6-11-year-old children will participate in conservation through art, swimming, and snorkelling. Our camp dates are scheduled for 23rd April to 3rd May 2019.

What has been unique to our program is the focus of the Bezos Team on the long term sustainability of Fish ‘n Fins through capacity building of indigenous and future ocean leaders in conservation.

Our grant has also allowed us to set up Fish ‘n Fins TV to document the upcoming preparations for Easter Camp and STEAM Festival activities.

20-year-old Ocean Leader Amar Hemraj was selected as a program assistant for this project. He comments, I’m enjoying preparing for Fish ‘n Fins STEAM Festival and Easter Camp 2019. My days are filled with all sorts of fun and exciting stuff, including improving my swim skills, snorkelling, kayaking, freediving, art, science, and Lego engineering too! So far, we have done the following:"

• Engaged over 80 primary school students in Ocean Challenge, from local primary St. Augustine School.
• Ocean Leaders program set up focusing on youth empowerment and capacity building. Five of our youth leaders will support our Easter Camp as junior camp counsellors, with relevant training and certification given.
• 25 young adults and Ocean Leaders engaged in creating art for the STEAM Festival, some of which will be submitted to Students Rebuild as part of the Ocean Challenge.
• Fish ‘n Fins created ‘Styroman,’ a handcrafted structure that was on parade at Montserrat St. Patricks Festival. Styroman will be on display at the Clubhouse, during the STEAM Festival.
• Fish ‘n Fins Lego Robotics Team has been formed. The team is made up of 9-11-year olds. We are creating a hurricane aftermath board, with the mission to design, build and program a robot to remove debris post-hurricane.
• We engaged Look Out Primary School Grade 6 in a citizen science project, ‘Keep Montserrat Nice – the issue of plastic pollution on Montserrat.’ Our work with these students will be on display at our Little Bay Clubhouse in May.

Look Out Primary School Grade 6 students enjoyed an adventure day on SEA Debris with Fish ‘n Fins. Teaching assistant Shania Weekes commented, "Thanks to Fish ‘n Fins, for showing us the issue of plastic pollution, and how this is impacting our community and marine life on Montserrat. The day left me considering what I would do for our ocean. I’m certainly inspired to learn more about our marine life, the challenges faced by our ocean, and how our island is impacted. I want to be a part of the solution. Our class is looking forward to participating at the STEAM Festival in May."