Since the inception of the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program five years ago, we have accomplished a great deal, and we would like to share some of these achievements with you.
2014
With the help of our partners, University of the West Indies Discovery Bay Marine Lab, we launched the J.A.M.I.N. Mangrove Education and Restoration program during the 2014-2015 school year. Using our custom-developed mangrove curriculum, 10th grade students at Holland and William Knibb High Schools in Falmouth, Jamaica learned about the importance of mangroves and how to restore them.
2016
After a successful first year, we created a more robust scientific curriculum where students learned how to monitor and manage the mangrove ecosystem. This allowed students to continue to participate in the J.A.M.I.N. program in their 11thgrade biology classes.
2017
In September 2017, we partnered with Seville Heritage Trust to bring the J.A.M.I.N. program to more students in Jamaica. Students from St. Hilda Diocesan High School were brought to Seville Heritage Park—a UNESCO World Heritage Center, and one of the most significant cultural heritage sites in Jamaica—to learn, restore, and monitor mangroves.
2018
We added a citizen science project to the J.A.M.I.N. program in 2018 through a partnership with North Carolina State University. Now in addition to monitoring the mangrove forests, students in the 2ndyear of the program investigate the presence of diseased mangrove leaves.
2019
This year, we partnered with Alligator Head Foundation to expand the J.A.M.I.N. program to the Portland area of Jamaica. Through this expansion, we are teaching students at Port Antonio and Titchfield High Schools about mangroves. We also partnered with EarthEcho International so J.A.M.I.N. students can participate in the EarthEcho Water Challenge, and share water quality data with other students around the world.
The J.A.M.I.N. program is continuously evolving. One of our goals is to expand the program throughout Jamaica so that all students have an opportunity to participate in this hands-on learning opportunity. We look forward to implementing the program for years to come!
We would like to thank our dedicated partners, schools, teachers, students, donors, and Prince Khaled bin Sultan for supporting the J.A.M.I.N. program. Without your help, this would not have been possible.
Partners:
- Alligator Head Foundation
- EarthEcho International
- University of the West Indies
- Discovery Bay Marine Lab
- Seville Heritage Trust
- North Carolina State
- Port Antonio High School in Portland
- William Knibb Memorial High School in Trelawny
- St. Hilda High School in St. Ann’s
- Titchfield High School in Portland
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