Drawing contest at Tarifa`s schools for world oceans day
by firmm Team
Text: Veronika Freundl, volunteer for firmm; Fotos: firmm
For the fifth time firmm invited Tarifa`s schools to attend a drawing competition. Occasion was the world oceans day on the 8th of June. In the first year of the competition we had 30 children attending, in the year after the number had doubled. This year 200 children handed in their colourful drawings, showing whales, dolphins and the underwater world. The children are pupils in the 4th,5th and 6th grade at the schools Guzmán el Bueno, Virgen del Sol und Nuestra Señora de la Luz in Tarifa. Instead of determining a winner, firmm has invited all partipants to a boat trip.
During the three days, at 10 o’clock each morning the pupils had the chance to go by boat (firmm Spirit) to the Strait of Gibraltar. Our aim was to make them aware of the ocean, fauna and above all the marine mammals in the Strait of Gibraltar and inspire their interest and enthusiasm. Before the trip our marine biologist Jörn gave them a little introduction. He explained the characteristics of the Strait of Gibraltar and introduced them to the local marine mammals showing pictures of the different species. Similar introductions are offered in several languages to all guests who go on firmm boat trips.
The children were quite excited when they entered the firmm Spirit. For some of them it was the first time ever to be on a ship on the ocean. Others talked about their home town on the other side of the Strait. When the boat started to move over the first waves, the excitement was not just audible but was also visible in the their faces.
Some miles further, the excitement changed into quiet on board when the first animals appeared next to the boat. The pilot whales attracted the childrens’ attention when they were lying in the water next to the boat and catching some sun, or when they were swimming with their calves at a safe distance. Suddenly, all pupils crowed to the right side of the boat to see bottlenose dolphins jumping in the bow wave of a big cargo ship. When the bottlenose dolphins crossed the route of our boat the children were able to observe their saltations nearby.
This way we intend to give children an understanding of the environment right in front of their doors and contribute to longterm protection and a sustainable way of life. Apart from the teachers, who kept the kids disciplined, we also had the local press “Tarifa al Dia” on Board. We want to thank all for cooperation and we think that it was a wonderful experience for all involved parties.