Discover why D’Arros and St Joseph are so important for threatened species! Win a spot in the new competition!
Can you help advocate for Seychelles’ critically endangered species and create awareness in your school or community?
The Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) is launching its next D’Arros Experience competition open to all Seychelles resident between the ages of 10 and 14. The prize? Participating in a one-week environmental education camp on D’Arros Island in the Amirantes. A total of 15 winners will be selected for participation in the program in 2023.
Participants of the D'Arros Experience 2022 during a terrestrial activity on D'Arros. Photo by Dillys Pouponeau | © Save Our Seas Foundation
What is the D’Arros Experience?
The D’Arros Experience, initiated by the SOSF and its D’Arros Research Centre (SOSF-DRC), aims to engage young Seychellois on the importance of the ecosystems that form part of their national heritage, while providing practical, hands-on field experience in a globally important ecological hotspot.
The D’Arros Experience is an important component of SOSF’s worldwide mission to promote environmental education and outreach. The idea is to provide students with a clear understanding of how ecosystems, from the coast to the deeper ocean, are connected.
Find out more by watching the short trailer made during the D’Arros Experience 2022 below:
What is the competition?
The competition candidates will be judged on their submissions of an original awareness campaign that teaches an audience about one of the iconic but critically endangered species found in Seychelles and provides ideas on how we can help those species’ populations onto the road of recovery.
Why is this species important and why is it threatened and what can we do now in Seychelles to help its populations?
Awareness campaigns have to choose one of the four species from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
- Hawksbill turtle (Kare)
- Sheath-tailed bat (Sousouri Bannan)
- Seychelles White-eye (Zwazo Linet)
- Bottlenose Wedgefish (Vyolon)
The campaign is to be realistic but students may use any means available to them for their submissions. It could be a video, a story, a poster, a collage of images, an audio recording or something else. Acceptable languages are English, Creole or French.
For more details on the specific competition guidelines, rules and regulations please read the PDF document here.
Participants of the D'Arros Experience 2022 snorkelling amongst the mangroves in St Joseph atoll. Photo by Dillys Pouponeau | © Save Our Seas Foundation
How to apply?
To apply, download the competition guidelines and read the rules and regulations here. You will also need to fill out the application form, which you can access here.
Submissions are accepted until Friday, 17th February 2023 (23:59 GMT+4) and are to be sent to competition@saveourseas.com with the subject line “SOSF D’Arros Experience 2023_FirstName_LastName”.
For those unable to send in digital versions or copies of submissions to the above email address, there is the option to hand in hard copies at the Minsitry of Education. Please address these to Lynndina Essack, Competition D’Arros Experience 2023, Ministry of Education, Mont Fleuri.
Competition documents:
SOSF D’Arros Experience 2023 Competition Guidelines-Rules-Regulations