Education
Current Activities
- Educational material
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We published and distribute for free our educational
booklet, “Messengers of the Sea,” containing information
on penguins and ocean conservation. The booklet is an
important educational tool for Spanish speaking audiences.
For the international community, we worked with Disney to
create a digital “Penguin education kit” in English and
Spanish. Our famous “Penguins of the World” poster
includes info about all the penguin species of the world,
including their population size, distribution and
conservation status. We developed a series of two learning
and activities books call Meet the Penguins. It is
intended for two educational levels: kindergarten and
primary school, in Spanish and English. Our goal is to
reach children with our conservation message to raise
awareness about the importance of protecting all penguin
species, the coasts and the oceans where they live.
- School trips
- We target local education efforts at communities and schools near penguin colonies so that the next generation will better value penguins. GPS organizes trips for kids to visit penguins in their nearby natural areas, gives talks to each class before the trips, and donates hundreds of books about wildlife and conservation. So far over 6,000 kids have benefitted from this program.
- Interpretation Exhibits and Signs
- We participate in the design of interpretation centers, tourist trails, and signs at penguin colonies that are open to visitors.
- Sharing Knowledge
- We transfer information about penguins and their habitat condition to governments and wider audiences (tour guides, students, travel agents, interested citizens) in a variety of formats and languages. We use mainstream media (newspapers, magazines, radio, television) and other communication strategies Our team gives lectures and talks for general community and specific audiences (School and university students, government officials, conservation agents, ecotourism operators). We also disseminate information about penguin populations status and threats through technical reports submitted to governments and interested parties.
- Beach and penguin colony cleanup
- Every year, before penguins arrive from their annual winter migration, we take 100 adolescents to collect garbage and debris from the beach and nesting areas of colonies in Patagonia Argentina. Materials are then processed at a recycling center. Much of this trash is plastic, making this a good opportunity to draw attention to the problem of single-use plastic and ocean pollution.
Fostering a “conservation culture” wherein all people value and can participate in conservation is our educational goal. By educating people about penguins and the importance of healthy oceans we both involve and empower local communities and reach decision makers.