Lets take a journey through plastic pollution and inspire positive solutions!

How to educate kids in such a way that engages them, create free and lateral thought, inspire positive solutions and deal with real issues that are part of our day-to day lives are all critical attributes of Asociación Ondine´s Dos Manos Schools Program. A 3 day initiative that we have adopted from Two Hands Project in Australia and adapted it to suit the Balearic Islands.

Over the months of May and June this year, our plastic team has had the pleasure of piloting our new schools program at 2 separate schools with over 80 kids participating.

The program is hands on which starts with a half day classroom session where we provide information though media and other teaching aids in regards to plastics…what they are, how they are used and what happens to them when they enter the marine environment.

We then teach the kids the techniques required to conduct scientific surveys on both micro and macroplastics. So, this cleaver program is nicely weaved into the science curriculums and has many other crossover aspects to other subjects the kids already study.

Day 2 see´s the O-Team, teachers and children at a local beach where we have them conduct their own Dos Manos beach clean as well as the collection & recording of data related to what they have found and where they found it.

To see the kids really begin to understand the extent of the problem is such an amazing experience to be part of. You can tell these kids are engaged, the questions do not stop, the looks of curiosity on their faces as they are picking up random plastics and trying to work out where they have come form. The looks of disgust when they come across sanitary waste like Q-tips really shows how hands on learning has a lasting impression. These kids, our future, obviously don’t like or agree with what we, their parents, have done to this world and I don’t blame them!

With the new knowledge they have, combined with the hands on experience and data collected, its then back to the classroom, or schools gardens, to debrief on the previous days survey and data, look at the numbers, find patterns and most importantly and exciting is leaving the kids to work in small groups to find positive solutions to some real world negative issues.

This is the lateral thinking part of the program, a very appealing aspect of learning that seems to be lacking in many educational systems these days! The fact we give the kids freedom of thought and expression for the majority of this day means the kids really get to put their intelligence and creativity to work. Its beautiful to watch!

The feedback from teachers and students has been exceptional as well as constructive, which was the main objective of the pilot programs, to receive feedback and manipulate to suit!

We will be finalizing this program over summer and be ready to roll this out in the new schools year beginning at the end of summer 2016. So, if you have a child in a local school here in Mallorca and they are aged between 12 and 17 then please get in touch so as we can visit your children’s school and offer this very unique educational experience. Its a winner, this is for sure!

Many thanks to La Salle in Inca and The Academy in Marratxi for opening your doors, minds and hearts to Asociacion Ondine and our Dos Manos Schools Program! Legends!