Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance Partners with Nature Foundation, STINAPA Bonaire and World Wildlife Fund for Youth Environmental Exchange

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Nature Foundation St Maarten is looking for students in the age 12 and 13 years old with affinity for nature conservation and marine life for a very exciting event called: Junior Ranger Exchange!

The DCNA (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance) board would like to invite youths of each island of the Dutch Caribbean to represent their marine parks during their event. Nature Foundations is looking for 4 students from St Maarten to participate in the Ranger Exchange which will take place in Bonaire in the weekend of October 25-27, 2019.

We are looking for student with the below profile for the Junior Ranger Exchange:
– The student needs to be 12 or 13 years old (during the event)
– The student needs to be comfortable in communicating in English
– The student needs to be able and allowed to swim/snorkel (at least 50m with mask/snorkel/fins without any assistance), parents need to sign a permission/waiver.
– The school and parents need to allow the student to miss the school on Friday the 25th and Monday the 28th of October, the student needs to be allowed to stay in Bonaire from Friday till Monday (authorized to fly). An adult leader will join the student groups during the entire trip.

Interested students can apply by sending a short email of interest to projects@naturefoundationsxm.org before Friday the 13th of September, interested students will be invited to participate in an environmental quiz and 4 students will be selected to join the event in Bonaire.

The 4 participating students will have an active learning experience, sharing and learning with and from each other, like an activity filled conference. They will return home as nature conservation ambassadors to share and apply this knowledge and experience with your school, the other youths and the community at large. The overall theme of the Junior Ranger Exchange will be Coastal and Marine Conservation. Different topics that will be incorporated are (plastic) pollution, coral reefs, shorebirds and the vast biodiversity of our islands.