Our program gets youth from our local Atlantic Forest community in Brazil to transform knowledge into art. What better way to "leave a healthy planet to our children" is there than to get them involved in earths recovery! 15 students will enter their classroom, the Atlantic Forest, for a 3-week course on biodiversity, history, culture and use this knowledge to transform it into digital art, through photography and editing. All art will be online taking their environmental advocacy international.
The Atlantic Forest is on the brink of extinction. With only 7% of its original extent remaining, we are rapidly losing one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots. The challenge on the ground is one of education; we don't learn about our history or the value of nature. Local kids don't realize their home is a UNESCO site or that people travel across the world to study our local culture and see our biodiversity. We must connect with nature and be proud of our heritage in order to preserve it.
Combining art with forest explorations will develop biodiversity conservationists. They will learn photography, filming and editing techniques and put them into practice by collecting footage and creating short films on themes like wildlife and traditional culture. We will host a festival where their art projects are presented to our community, and the world by posting their documentaries online, to raise awareness about ecological and cultural issues. The project will be replicated every year.
Each generation will learn about the: intrinsic value of biodiversity; significance of forests in environmental services for humans and other species; history & culture of our ancestors and their connection with the environment; and economic value that the preservation of the forest (rather than destruction) could bring our communities, which is critical for conservation. Celebrating our heritage and natural wonders will catalyze a change from harmful environmental practices to sustainable ones.
