The « Héritage Océan project, let’s protect our Polynesian marine resources » – 2014-2015
The association initiated for the school year 2014-2015 the educational project « Our ocean heritage », implemented thanks to the support of PEW (Pew Charitable Trusts).
Approved by the General Directorate of Education and Teachings (DGEE), this project includes several actions to better protect our island marine resources (animations in the classroom, creation of an educational kit, awareness campaigns …).
Various activities are carried out upstream in elementary and middle schools of Tubuai, Rurutu, Rimatara, Raivavae, and Rapa in classes of Tahiti and Moorea. This first intervention aims to transmit the necessary knowledge to the study of the thematic.
After the visit of one of the association educators, children work with their teacher (s) on the achievement of a digital charter or poster.The winning production will then be included in the educational trunk that the association is creating in parallel (composed of posters, a board game, and a teacher’s guide) and then disseminated to the public concerned. Year after year, the other children will discover “a message of hope from children to other children.”
The project is finalized on the site of the association in Moorea and in the Austral Islands through the organization of meeting days between the classes that are invited to discover in situ marine flora and fauna around us and the links connecting each individual in the marine world through a visit to an underwater trail with 2007 and will thus share experiences they have lived and the work they have performed.
To this day, 35 Elementary and Middle school students – 7 islands visited: Rimatara, Tubuaï, Rurutu, Raivavae, Tahiti and Moorea – awareness raised for over 680 children…
The educational project : Bula honu, follow the sea turtles of the Pacific
Te mana o te moana initiated in 2011 an Observatory for cetacean and sea turtles in French polynesia for a better protection of the emblematic marine species of French polynesia. As part of this project of education, research and conservation, various actions were set up with children, our future generations.
That’s how this project « BULA HONU, follow the sea turtles of the Pacific » was born thanks to the support of all the Education Services, Ministries the Board of Education, research centers and partners of the Pacific. Differents school classes of Tahiti, Moorea, Tuamotu but also Tonga, Samoa and others countries of the South Pacific will exchange and follow the travel of six sea turtles satellite tagged. Children will discover all together the great journey of the French polynesia sea turtles and exchange on those emblematic species.
Differents school classes of Tahiti, Moorea, Tuamotu but also from France, Tonga, Samoa, Fijii, New Caledonia and others countries of the South Pacific are exchanging and following the travel of six sea turtles equippeed by staellite transmitters. Children discover all together the great journey of the French polynesia sea turtles. After exchanging during the all school year on the marine embmematic species we need to proect, through a website (in both French and English) dedicated to the project, a classroom from Moorea will travel over to New Caledonia in May 2015 to encounter the schools they exchanged with during the year.
<< Click here to read the news of the project
<< Click here to discover the all project
<< Click here to read the Press release- april 2015
<< Click here to follow the 6 sea turtles equipped by satellite transmitters.
Educational project : “Awareness raising of the Marine space of Moorea
Since 2 years, the foundation is trying to renew an educational project based on the Marine Areas Plan of Moorea. Goals are to aim at a better understanding of our PGEM of Moorea (Management Plan for the Marine Areas), the rules applied, and to give a better knowledge of the marine fauna and flora. This project is conducted with the 7 elementary schools of Moorea (children from 9 to 11 years old).
During the 2012-2013 school year, this project was supported by the Fondation Nicolas Hulot pour la Nature et l’Homme and in partnership with the Direction of Primary School and the City hall of Moorea Maiao. Last year, 7 classerooms, around 300 school chilren have participated to the project.
For this 2013-2014 year, the project has been renewed thanks to the support of the TE ME UM Program (Terres et Mers Ultras-Marines) and Isabella Ponta, one of our generous donor.Thanks to this partership, some novelties have been added : welcoming of the children at the foundation to visit the sea turtle Clinic and the dolphin area; delivering fro free of the “Tohora, humpback whale who are you?” booklet….
<< Click here to learn everything about the project
Educational Project “Tohora“,
Humpback whale, who are you?
A new educational tool is distributed since the beginning of this 2012-2013 schoolyear in all Primary schools of French Polynesia. The educational booklet on Humpback whale was created to raise awareness about whale protection in Polynesia, in the continuity of the Cetacean Observatory.
Funded by Total Polynesia, the booklet on Humpback Whale will help to better understand cetaceans and better act for the conservation of emblematic species in Polynesian waters. Edited in 12 0000 specimens, the booklet is dirtibuted to all children from 9 to 11 years old. Each child will receive a booklet. In total, more than 11 000 children will get its own booklet! Its content is adapted to the educational standards from the Direction of Primary School.
At the beginning of september, educators from the foundation will deliver specific programs into 12 classes of Tahiti and Moorea. Classerooms will be able to start their educational project and will become news observators of the Observatory networks. A contest is organized during the school year and the winners will be invited to celebrate the World Ocean Day on June 10th, 2013.
<<< Click here to learn about the all project
A teaching kit on water
with the Maud Fontenoy Fondation
The teaching kit on water for primary schools proposed by the Maud Fontenoy Foundation has been created in partnership with te mana o te moana, Unicef and the Canadian-based One Drop Foundation. This education package helps to understand “why it is essential to preserve water, freshwater as well as sea water”.
The teaching kit on water was distribute at the beginning of the 2012-2013 schoolyear, in all primary schools in France and French overseas territories, in partnership with the French Ministry of Education.
It includes 10 cards helping to figure out the major stakes for the future, such as: sea level rise due to global climate warming, the lack of water in some countries linked with access to education, river pollution reaching the sea. These educational objectives are enriched with scientific data and with authentic testimonies collected from kids throughout the world. This teaching kit is full of hope, and focuses on positive inititatives and amazing stories showing how incredible our planet’s resources are.
<< Click here to see more about the project in French Polynesia
>> Read the Teaching Kit
>> More information about the Maud Fontenoy Foundation
Oceansemble
Together for the world ocean
«Together for the world ocean» is a project developed by Acroporis association and aiming at raising school children awareness on marine ecosystem protection. Since this project was launched in 2008, te mana o te moana has been an active partner for several consecutive years.
Creator of the program and in charge of its coordination, Acroporis non-profit foundation is very involved in ocean-related issues and very active in raising children awareness. Acroporis collaborates with scientists and specialists, and is an associate member of the World Ocean Network.
The classes involved in the project study all year long a theme related to ocean preservation. Local partners (NGOs or non-profit foundations) act as intermediaries between Acroporis and the classes. Their knowledge of local natural and social environment as well as logistics aspects is very helpful.
<< Click here o get more information about the project.
The Saga
The Saga is a yearly event created 15 years ago in order to offer to disadvantaged children a good time during the summer vacation. Sailing is the main activity. Every year, a different Polynesian island hosts the Saga, which lasts 1,5 month.
100 to 150 children come to stay every week. The children, cared after by various social organisms, come from Tahiti, Moorea, and the other archipelagos such as the Leeward Islands, the Australs or the Marquesas. Children have fun all day long sailing, swimming, hiking or attending awareness raising classes.
In 2007, the Saga Penu settled on Maupiti. Henri Cornette de Saint Cyr (manager of Tahiti’s Sailing School), who created the Saga, asked te mana o te moana to set up special activities this year, raising environmental awareness.
An educator from te mana o te moana therefore joined the Saga team, running three activities: underwater trail (guided snorkeling with five stops equipped with submerged information cards presenting nearby animals and plants), “flight” over the reef (snorkeling with a buoy) and information booth (on recycling and sorting waste).
Since 2007, te mana o te moana is pleased to participate to the Saga every year and is always looking forward to sharing new environmental and marine adventures, discovering new islands, and meeting more “children of the Saga”.
Read more about the Saga
Manareva Operation
“From Earth to Space,
let’s preserve our future”
In 2007, Moorea was the starting point for a new and quite unusual awareness-raising operation for the protection of the planet. Named the “Manareva Operation”, it was organized by te mana o te moana in collaboration with UPJ (Polynesian Union for Youth).
Its aim was to gather on a cloth pareo hundreds of signatures of young people from all over the world. The pareo would then travel high over the Earth during a space flight.
On the pareo, prepared jointly with the UPJ, a message had been added: “From Earth to Space, let’s preserve our future”. The pareo was first presented at the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris, in October 2007, where it was covered with signatures and messages for the Earth, written by dozens of young people from all countries. Back to Moorea, more signatures and messages were added by young Polynesians.
The pareo then left French Polynesia, heading towards its boarding zone in the USA. Rick Linnehan, an astronaut and friend of te mana o te moana, took the pareo with him in the space shuttle Endeavour during its February 2008 flight to the International Space Station (flight STS-123), enabling the hopeful messages to rise a little higher and to be heard…
Since then, Rick Linnehan and the French astronaut Jean-François Clervoy have become Patrons of te mana o te moana. They always keep an eye on te mana o te moana’s activities, and come regularly to French Polynesia for public and school conferences about space, of course, and about the protection of our planet.
May 12, 2012 – Tahiti: Conference with Charlie DUKE, american astronaut (APOLLO 16, April 1972)
Educational visits
at the Mamao Hospital, Tahiti
The first visits at the Pediatrics Service of the Tahiti Mamao Hospital, in 2007, have been so successful that this event, initially proposed by the Moorea Dolphin Center in collaboration with te mana o te moana, has then been planned on a regular basis.
Therefore, once a month, from 2007 to 2009, an educator of te mana o te moana visited the Tahiti Mamao Hospital to entertain the hospitalized children while talking about marine environment and playing games, activities, videos and quizzes during 1,5 hour.
Each visit focused on a specific theme, in order to avoid repetitions for children: sea turtles, marine mammals, marine ecosystem, polynesian culture and protection of environment… A good way to forget, for a while, the daily life at the hospital while learning about marine environment.
