During the school holidays, the Institute for the Conservation of Madagascar Biodiversity (ICMB) helped 110 young people discover the biodiversity around them. To run the sessions, the team used Youth Conservation flyers. Here is their story from the field.
An NGO committed to Madagascar’s biodiversity
ICMB works to conserve biodiversity in Madagascar, one of the richest countries in the world for endemic species. For the NGO, protecting nature also means reaching the younger generation: they are the ones who will look after the forests and the species that live in them tomorrow.
With this in mind, ICMB ran an awareness programme during the school holidays, a time when children are available and keen to try something new.
110 young people aged 10 to 21, brought together by nature
One hundred and ten young people took part. They were aged 10 to 21, with very different school levels. That was a real challenge for the facilitators: messages had to be simple enough for the youngest and rich enough to engage the oldest.
Ten volunteers from the local community led the programme. Their involvement rooted the activities in the area: these were neighbours and relatives talking to young people about their own environment.
Learn, observe, act: three key moments
The programme combined three activities:
- awareness sessions on biodiversity conservation, to lay the foundations;
- a visit to a conservation site for the eastern lesser bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus), to see in the field what had been discussed in class;
- setting up a tree nursery, to turn learning into action, hands in the soil.
This progression reflects the Discover, Understand, Act approach we promote at Youth Conservation: we protect best what we know, and we commit more readily when we can take concrete action.
Youth Conservation flyers as teaching materials
To run the sessions, the ICMB team used Youth Conservation flyers. As printing wasn’t possible, they used them in digital format, which didn’t stop them doing their job.
“They were very useful for presenting awareness messages in a simple, visual way,” says ICMB. “Participants especially enjoyed the visuals and the information they contain.”
What the young people took away
According to the NGO, the activities helped participants build their knowledge of biodiversity, understand why lemurs and their habitat need protecting, and discover practical ways to care for their environment.
ICMB also gave every child a school kit (pens, coloured pencils and notebooks) to support them in their studies.
Free resources, adapted to the field
ICMB’s experience shows exactly what we design our resources for: free, easy-to-use tools that anyone working in the field can adapt to their own means, on paper or on screen.
A big thank you to the whole ICMB team and its volunteers for their commitment and for sharing this story!
Would you like to raise young people’s awareness of nature too? All our flyers are free to download at youth-conservation.org.
The ICMB is an organisation committed to the sustainable conservation of Madagascar’s unique biodiversity through practical initiatives such as reforestation, environmental education and the involvement of local communities in environmentally friendly practices. To contact them: henintsoa.icmb@gmail.com.
