Island kids take part in Hol Chan’s Guardians of the Reef Summer Camp

After a brief delay due to Hurricane Beryl, the annual Guardians of the Reef Summer Camp is now in full swing. The camp, running from Monday, July 8th to July 19th at the Lion’s Den from 8:30AM to 11:30AM, is organized by the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) with a clear mission to educate children about protecting and preserving the marine environment. The camp features a rich array of fun and educational activities, outdoor games, and lessons on conservation, ensuring a well-rounded learning experience for the young participants.
The Reef Program, designed for students and campers aged 6-13, is about learning and having fun. Some activities focus on mapping to understand the impact of plastic pollution on the sea, food chains, and the importance of corals and the Barrier Reef. Children can enjoy trips to the beach, mangroves, and the reef as part of their mapping activities. The summer camp also emphasizes the connections between students and the sea, teaching them how their actions can impact the environment. The program also encourages the conservation of Belize’s marine system and provides snacks and drinks for the participants.
The children have completed the first week of their program. During the first two days, they participated in educational activities about food chains and webs. On the third day, they learned about the colonial organisms of corals, which are made up of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individual animals called polyps.
The San Pedro Sun’s reporter contacted Mariela Archan, Human Resources (HR) and Public Relations (PR) at HCMR, for more details on this year’s summer program. “We have completed the first three days of activities. The children learned about food chains and webs during the first two days. On the third day, the children engaged in learning about coral anatomy. I think kids need to learn about the coral reef early and understand the underwater environment’s incredible benefits,” Archan commented, “and as for the other scheduled days of activities, we are planning to learn on Thursday, July 11th, the importance of the coral reef; then, on Friday, July 12th, we will have a day where we will engage with the children with fun activities. Then, on Monday, July 15th, we will look at sea grass, where children will learn the importance of seagrass in the sea and its benefits to the ecosystem. Then, on Tuesday, July 16th, we will learn about mangroves and how they help with storm surge impacts during extreme bad weather such as hurricanes. And on Wednesday, July 17th, Sea Turtles and Thursday, July 18th, Marine Reserves and at Culmination on Friday, July 19th, we will be taking the kids on a field trip to the reef!” said Archer on the other activities the kids will take part in.”
Hol Chan would like to thank all their partners for making the summer camp possible. They hope this program will bring great memories to island kids while they learn about the marine environment.