Recently I have had some wonderful experiences in schools talking about the sea and ocean adventures. It is probably very naive of me to have been saddened to learn that many of the young people I have met have never spent time by the sea. Some of these people live less than 20 miles from the sea. I wonder how people could even begin to understand the world we live in without seeing, hearing and breathing in deep breaths of sea air – let alone discovering the creatures and plants along the sea shore.
The National Curriculum is currently under review, but as it stands young people in the UK can go through their whole school life without learning about the oceans. We feel it is important that young people are given the opportunity to learn about the oceans; how natural and human activities and processes are affecting the seas and what can be done to safeguard their future. Without knowledge of the environmental, social and economic impacts on the oceans, future generations will not have the understanding to make the important decisions needed in finding solutions to the potential ocean crisis.
On Friday 21st October at 6pm in the National Geographic Store on Regent Street, PEA TALKS have provided us an opportunity to come together, to emerge with our various passions, be it communicating through music, art, poetry, adventures, film making and campaigning and discuss ways of ensuring all school children learn about the ocean. Magic happens when people are brought together from various disciplines to consider a topic.
We will have talks from Rupert Murray, the director of the acclaimed documentary ‘The End of the Line’ and Richard Peirce, the Chairman of Shark Conservation Society. I will talk about how we can secure ocean focused topics in the current National Curriculum reform. There will be music from beat boxers Bass6 and Yasson, song from Athena Andreadis. Multimedia artist and poet Beyonder will expand the consciousness and touch the soul, and Public Spirit will be creating artwork to be auctioned on the night.
In my dreams we would create a method for every young person in the UK to ‘get out there’, to experience classes by and on the sea.
Event details:
Date: Friday 21st October 2011
Venue: National Geographic Store, Regent Street, London, W1B 4EW
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Food & Beverage: 15% discount agreed at the National Geographic Cafe
Admission: Free of charge
http://peaawards.co.uk/gallery.html
http://www.dare2mag.com/news/2011/the-pea-talks/