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sude buh ehe by
qfI a bide i pal Vede,
ca ria. talaed a he
gee sik, pal Vede i a
naial pak veed i ial
dy e ad welad ad
aa milli bid ad
he wildlie.
Encouraging young peopleto nd out about environmentalissues isnt
always easy. Current
solutions to eco-issues are often seen asnegative. Dont use
plastic bags, dont makeunnecessary car journeys these are justtwo
examples on a long list of what not todo in order to save the
planet. However, tosuccessfully tackle ongoing ecologicalissues,
all age groups and cultures will haveto pull together, listen, and
learn aboutwhat we can all do.
Enter, YALLAH: Reef to Rainforest, aninnovative project from
Qatar FoundationInternational (QFI), a United States-basedmember of
Qatar Foundation (QF), whichaims to energize teenagers in
challengingglobal issues and take the messages learnedback to their
peers.
YALLAH Youth Allied to Learn, Leveland Help is an online forum
for QFIseducational exchange program alumni. Itsa space for them to
share and exchangeideas on topics from the community level
up. Reef to Rainforest brings togetherthese teenagers, who are
alreadycommitted to making a difference, in aonce-in-a-lifetime
trip through Costa Rica,from the countrys coast to its heart,
ndingout about ecological issues along the way.
Those applying had to be members ofQFIs online platform before
submittingtwo essays and two teachersrecommendations, which were
then ratedfor quality and content.
Adnan Mackovic, Reef to Rainforest
EnVIronMEnt.
26
Qatari teens join their Brazilian and American peers in
discovering the environmental issues facing the world today.
TACKLING GLObALISSUES HANDS ON
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27www.qf.org.qawww.qf.org.qa 27
supervisor and Qatar Leadership Academy SubjectCo-ordinator,
explained why the program is soimpactful. Students are often taught
about theimportance of our environment, sustainability,
andcommunity involvement simply by sitting behind theirdesks and
looking at video clips or multimedia images
they dont get to have a personal connection, personalexperience.
This project offered exactly that, he said.
Our students learned about the importance of ourenvironment by
doing, by experiencing, byparticipating, and directly being
immersed in thenature, ora, and fauna of Costa Rica.
During the adventure, the participants from Qatar,Brazil, and
America were challenged to work togetherin a series of physical
activities, while nding out aboutsome of the ecological issues
facing Costa Rica and theworld as a whole.
Livia Kobayashi, 18, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, a studentof
BibliASPA, was particularly impressed by a visit thegroup took to
Casa Del Sol, where they learned aboutcomposting methods that
reduce the need for articialfertilizers, before cooking some of the
resultingproduce. Even though I already knew about it, welearned
about cooking with solar energy, sheexplained. It was interesting
to see the differentequipment used in the process. The people
therewere so passionate about what they do, it was
reallyinspiring.
Marwa Yehya, 17, a student from Al IemanIndependent Secondary
School for Girls in Qatar
emphasized how much she learned. When I held astarsh, I actually
learned that they dont have askeleton. Instead, they have spines
and they feed onbivalves like clams and mussels, she said.
My experience helped me recognize how muchhumans are ruining
Gods gifts in the earth. Instead, weneed to benet from them in a
good way and help totake care of everything. It has changed my life
for thebetter. It has taught me to be more optimistic andwilling to
try new stuff even if it takes work and tiresyou, its worth it.
For 18-year-old Liam Walsh, from MassachusettsUniversity in the
US, the most poignant lesson helearned was during a visit to the
greenhouse at theCountry Day School, Guanacaste.
During this lab, we planted lettuce seedlings involcanic rock
and learned how the rock gave the plantsalmost all the nutrients
they need, while never losingany minerals itself. It can be reused
thousands of timeswithout needing to be composted or replaced, he
said.The program was almost completely sustainable, anidea we were
thinking about during our entire time inCosta Rica.
Learning so much about the environment and theimportance of
preservation in such a beautiful and pureplace helped to enforce
the idea that people alwaysneed to consider how what they are doing
is affectingthe world we live in there are only so many
resources
takig a aive a i ivesigaig eviomeal issues (o); qfI sudes
walkig o he rio celese waealls i he teoio naioal pak i cosa
ria.
youg eole go eal hads-o exeiee as he leaed
abou he eviomeal halleges cosa ria aes.
Our students learnedabout the importance
o our environment by
doing, by experiencing, byparticipating, and directlybeing
immersed in thenature, fora, and auna oCosta Rica
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28
EnVIronMEnt.
and we need to preserve them. The best way to spreadthis
message, in my opinion, is for me to talk to peopleabout what I saw
and, when possible, show them someof the amazing pictures I brought
home with me thatshow how beautiful yet delicate the world is.
The lessons I learned on this trip have helped me
to realize the delicate balance that surround us in
theecosystem. When a species collapses, the effects onthe ecosystem
are vast. Animals above it in the foodchain and those below it
suffer, thereby potentiallycausing disaster to the many organisms
with whichit interacts.
Visiting Costa Rica has made me think activelyabout how I affect
the environment and what I canpossibly do to help decrease my
effect on theenvironment.
Similarly inspired, Kobayashi is now involved in anoutreach
project with less-fortunate students in hercommunity. While
paddling in a river by themangroves in Costa Rica, I got talking
with my friend,Priscila, about the importance of this ecosystem
incarbon storage she explained.
As a result of this conversation, I am now talkingabout this
issue to the students in the project. We areperhaps going on a trip
with them to a neighboring cityto visit the mangroves.
Besides learning about Costa Rica and the solutionsbeing tried
to meet its environmental problems, theparticipants were challenged
to take part in a series ofphysical tasks. Requiring perseverance
and dedicationthey conquered their nerves by ying down
high-levelzip wires, learning to surf, and trekking on
horsebackthrough the forest.
The program was truly an experience of whichmemories are made
and one that Mackovic suggests
will give them a greater understanding of what theirrole is in
this world to help preserve the planet and allit has to offer.
On a personal note, he added: This project hasencouraged me to
further continue creating aclassroom in which students are offered
real-worldexperiences and encouraged to fully participate in
ourcommunity.
This project has
encouraged me tourther continuecreating a classroom inwhich
students areofered real-worldexperiences andencouraged to
ullyparticipate in ourcommunity
Mummed a ti, sude q ledesi adem,
disves sis wis skeig i cs ri duig qIs
yallah ree ries exedii.
qI sf membe nsse a
Ki ssig e e
gig bidges i tei
ni pk.
Qatar Foundation International (QFI)
is a Washington DC-based member
o Qatar Foundation. Its mission is to
connect cultures and advance global
citizenship through education. The
not-or-profit organization ocuses
on grant-giving and programs that
promote education, across
geographical, social and cultural
boundaries.
Whatis
QFI
Duig e exedii, ee wee m iviies e gu ke i, iudig we ubig.
