The project began in September 2021

Here were our goals:

• Establish a long-term partnership with an organisation dedicated to the protection of the Red Sea, a particularly rich but often overlooked environment

• Enable volunteers who sign up to interact with researchers and specialists

• Carry out complex and collaborative work

• Showcase language, digital and artistic skills

• Take a responsible and considered approach when working online

• Discover and use analytical tools for observation and environmental protection

• Support the following sustainable development goals:

  • Quality education

  • Gender equality

  • Reduced inequalities

  • Responsible consumption and production

  • Life below water

  • Life on land

  • Partnerships for the goals

The volunteers involved

• 19 throughout the year, including 2 by distance learning from the French high school in Tokyo - The vast majority are in 11th or 12th grade

• 15 participants in the trip, including 4 schoolchildren, in 6th and 9th grade

2 phases

Phase 1

• In September: presentation of the project

  We decide to:

  • to build up an image bank inspired by NOAA fisheries illustrations

  • to create an educational board game in French, English and Arabic to raise awareness about turtles in the Red Sea

  • to build 3 web pages, in French, English and Arabic as well, to present the turtles in the Red Sea to the youngest

• October to December: documentation work and creation of a database of drawings (cetaceans of the Red Sea)

• In November: 1st online meeting with the Red Sea Project team

• November to March:

  • Design of the web pages, online games, cards and the board game

  • Layout work using Canva, Photoshop, Wix and Squarespace as well as LearningApps - overview and correction, followed by printing and publication

Phase 2 : 6 days in the end of June

Meetings with the professionals

• A filmmaker - Simone Piccoli

• Ahmed Sayed, Head of PADI Middle East / Egypt

• Dr. Mahmoud A. Radi Dar, Director of the Hurghada Oceanographic Institute (Red Sea)

  
  

Observation, tracing, analysis and documentation techniques

• Snorkeling

• the use of telescopes, binoculars, anemometers, GPS

• Collection of samples (plankton), microscopes

• Seawater analysis

• Study of the condition of corals using the Coral Watch method, developed by the University of Queensland
  

Social engagement: meeting with 45 children from the Ababda tribe

• Visit to the crafts centre

• Clean up - PADI Aware

• Raising awareness for the protection of the Red Sea through various activities, including:

  • The colouring of drawings

  • Playing a board game elaborated by the 101 team

  • The making of bracelets

  • The colouring of pins (Dos and Don’ts)

  • The story of Selim and the Turtle

  • Donations of bags and notebooks made by the 101 team on the theme of environmental protection
    

Budding ambassadors competition

At the same time, in January, two volunteers took part in the competition organised by the AEFE on the theme of "seas and oceans: what is at stake for the planet?". They made use of the documentation already collected and the Red Sea Project team provided us with an additional file that was even more detailed. The next step was to construct an argument, mobilise the processes of conviction and stage the discussion thus imagined. The video was eventually selected in the collective category on the MOPI area 🏆.

In October 2022, our two volunteers won the Jury's Favourite prize (coup de cœur) for their outstanding video on Seas and Oceans, in the world competition organised by AEFE and in which French schools, all around the planet, participated.

Further developments

• Our volunteers have been trained to accompany young primary school pupils from next September. They will be able to follow them in the preparation of their trip in May 2023, by providing them with information and documentation throughout the year, remotely or during meetings to be scheduled. In May, they will be on site to supervise the planned activities as assistants to the Red Sea Project team.

• In addition, there are plans to develop a new game and to make an interactive book to raise awareness particularly of the global slaughter of sharks, which play a key role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs.