For the first time, students from St. Croix will have an opportunity to participate in the popular Youth Ocean Explorers (YOE) program this summer.
Based at the University of the Virgin Islands, YOE is a marine science-based summer enrichment opportunity that aims to increase students’ interest and engagement in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and the ocean sciences. The program has been conducted on the UVI St. Thomas Campus for three years.
With funding from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, the program will make its debut on St. Croix from July 8-12, 2019 and July 22-26, 2019.
During two fun interactive and hands-on one-week sessions, students from grades seven to twelve who are registered for the St. Croix program can expect to learn about the various inhabitants of the ocean, the importance of coral reefs, threats to the island’s marine ecosystems, and actions that can be taken to help reduce those environmental threats.
“Some activities involve geocaching, where the students do a scavenger hunt kind of activity, and it allows them to hunt for the information. “Instead of us lecturing the kids, it's more fun, it's more engaging, it's more hands-on. I think that, by far, is what sets our program apart,” said Howard Forbes Jr., who serves as the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service coordinator for St. Thomas and St. John.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link.