Conservation charity creates school program to teach environmental education

Feb. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- The pupils of Ashville’s Eco Club, which takes place every Friday afternoon, have been participating in workshops held by MPC’s Education Officer,Katie Chabriere. The fun workshops include activities such as making Moroccan toys out of recycled goods, arts and crafts and learning about what life is like as a primate and how we can help preserve primate species.

Year 7/Ecoclub teacher and Head of Greenholme Boarding House, Mr Jimmy Dewhirst states, “the children have benefited in many ways from the pilot project, learning about conservation, primates and Moroccan culture. The school has benefited by improving its Eco Schools Green Flag status, and MPC have been able to channel more money into helping endangered primates. It’s a win-win situation and I would highly recommend this project to any school in Harrogate”.

The Moroccan Primate Conservation Foundation seeks to reverse the endangered status of the Barbary macaque, found mainly in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, by working with the Moroccan government and local communities and bringing an end to the illegal trade in infants caught in the wild. Ashville Eco Club pupils have so far raised £90 at a bake sale for MPC and in the Spring hope to visit Trentham Monkey Forest and begin a pen pal scheme with a Moroccan primary school.

The Eco-Schools Green Flag award is an international award programme, which enables schools to improve their sustainability levels and environmentally aware status. The MPC Schools Workshop Programme helps schools to achieve the award as well as enhancing both the curriculum and extra-curricular activities. The workshops are free of charge but schools are expected to carry out some fundraising activities on MPC’s behalf. MPC is currently offering a work experience programme or students interested in teaching and in conservation. For more details on this and to be sent an explicatory schools programme pack, contact Katie Chabriere on education@mpcfoundation.org.uk.