Bringing the Ocean to the Classroom
Hundreds of high school students in Cologno Monzese, Milan in Italy took part in a project aimed at bringing the wonders of the sea into the classroom.
Gianluca Pomati, Director of Bucanieri Dive Club, lead this initiative taking the students involved straight into the heart of the ocean with a marine biology course called "Ocean Common Good".
The course developped by Gianluca, an experienced scuba diving instructor and underwater photographer, is designed to capture the youngters' interest in conservation and turn them into advocates for the ocean.
"Italy is a country surrounded by the sea. We can not be indifferent to the problems threatening our oceans" he explains.
One of the main objectives of the course is to dispel myths and misconceptions about sharks. The students were fascinated by the information given about shark biology and conservation.
"Sharks are not as evil as they are described. The worst enemies of these animals are humans" says Gianluca.
This lecture about sharks is part of a series of four presentations all aimed at instilling awe, respect and hopefully a passion in all things that make our oceans so wonderful.
The students involved in the project were invited to watch stunning underwater videos and see images including shark photos taken by Gianluca himself.
The highlight of the course was the possibility for the students to discover scuba diving under the supervision of experienced diving instructors with a try dive in the pool. What better way to complete a course about our oceans than blowing bubbles underwater?
This great educational programme was offered for free by the City Council and is supported by Project AWARE.
A big THANK YOU to Gianluca and his team and congratulations to all the students who completed "Ocean Common Good".
