Kalabia
(the program)

I have written about the namesake, and the boat (this previous post has been updated), but what about the PROGRAM itself!?




You can check out this previous post for a little background. You'll notice, everything has been moved back of course, postponed, and delayed over and over again... As you can see from my latest posts, the Kalabia has now arrived in Raja Ampat and completed ONE program in Warsambin, Mayalibit.

Basically, the Kalabia Education Boat is going to tour around to the 89 villages within Raja Ampat delivering intensive 3-day education programs. We tried to push for longer programs, to make programming more complete and lessons more effective, however once we looked at the schedule and the number of villages, as well as how spread out they are, we decided we have to optimize our time and push for a three-day full program. The Kalabia will only be able to reach each village after TWO years even so!



There are three elements to the program itself. The youth/kids program, the adult program (which will involve fishermen and women, and will mainly function to support the other conservation initiatives in Raja Ampat, such as Marine Protected areas and Livelihoods programs) and a program for teachers to ensure the sustainability of Environmental Education in Raja Ampat. With the current setup, and because the entire program is completely new, we will begin by running only the youth program, with open sessions for adults and teachers. As the youth program is perfected, and the team gets more familiar with the material and program, we will begin to implement the more specific and tailored adult activities as well as teacher-training.



The youth program is a series of highly-interactive activities focusing on conservation issues relevant to local communities. It is designed to provide unique, hands-on experiences where students investigate for themselves the natural environment around them, and are invited to think critically about threats to conservation of the same. Participants learn about the interconnected nature of the ecosystems with which they must live in harmony. Song, dance, story-telling and art are all incorporated into the program to make it accessible to all learning styles, and especially appropriate for the local culture which thrives on these methods of entertainment. Through increased understanding of the ecosystems of Raja Ampat, as well as their unique place in the world, students feel pride and a sense of ownership, which is the first step to caring about and protecting their corner of Raja Ampat.

THE FIRST TIME...
KALABIA MAIDEN PROGRAM VOYAGE
Warsambin, Teluk Mayalibit, Raja Ampat

The small village of Warsambin at the mouth of Mayalibit Bay could not have been a more appropriate location to begin the Kalabia program. Mayalibit Bay is home to the true native peoples of Raja Ampat, the first MPA declared in Raja Ampat, and also a wonderful community of warm-hearted, highly-traditional people. The language of the region, bahasa Maya, contributed the name Kalabia to our Education Vessel. Mayalibit itself is a saltwater bay jutting deep into the island of Waigeo (one of the 'four kings') accessed only by a narrow entrance, which contributes to the uniqueness of the area.




The three-day program was a resounding success with the entire community of Warsambin! Students were thrilled with this novel experience and formed cohesive groups, working as teams, while learning lessons imperative to the conservation of the stunning nature that surrounds them.



While exploring the various ecosystems close to their village, students not only had fun, but learned lessons that will stay with them for a lifetime!




The bonds formed between the participants and the members of the education team, even in a short, three-day period, were precious to experience. The team, even though this was the first time out of the starting gate (and two team members were unable to join us), succeeded in creating an energetic, positive atmosphere of learning and fun, while also supporting and sharing in local culture and tradition. One of my favourite activities was the spontaneous yosban (traditional singing/dancing) with which we closed out the activities on the final day with students.




Because the Kalabia was able to dock at the village, we were able to experience a high-degree of interaction with the local villagers; people were welcomed aboard the vessel at all times, relationships blossomed, and the boat itself became the center of activities for the village for large parts of the day... especially in the evenings, when we provided rare entertainment in the form of conservation films and slide-shows of village life.




I'd do it again... and will... next month!