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ABOUT |  |
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Philosophy and History of NEGF Staff at NEGF NEGF Projects Impact of NEGF About the Galapagos Islands Map of the Galapagos Islands Links to Other Sites Contact Us |
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Languages available:
English About The New Era Galapagos Foundation To
address the social and ecological challenges facing conservation, and thereby
ensure a more effective conservation of the Galapagos Islands and surrounding
Marine Reserve, the New Era Galapagos Foundation (NEGF) was started in 1996 by a
partnership of resident Galapagos conservationists and volunteer American English
teachers.NEGF was founded with the commitment to a more inclusive and therefore effective conservation that provides the necessary skills, knowledge, and awareness to the least well-known, but undoubtedly most influential species in the Galapagos, humans. For many years, prior to our founding, there was a real lack of community awareness about environmental conservation on the island which resulted in littered streets, polluted water, and a depleted fishing supply. The foundation was started to address these pressing needs that we observed. At the time of our founding we faced a disinterested population with a minimal understanding of the importance of the foundation´s work due to fear, ignorance, and lack of opportunity for participatory involvement with existing organizations. Parents of the children thought that school offered all the education the children needed and there was no reason to supplement this with further instruction. However the educational system, based on rote memorization and featuring a curriculum and textbooks designed for mainland Ecuador, lacks relevance to the reality of Galapagos life. In addition, local residents, unprepared to work in tourism, conservation, or research, relied on fishing and other resource extractive industries for their livelihood. New Era Galapagos Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos Islands by empowering local residents through educational programs and environmental projects. Every year the New Era Galapagos Foundation runs: · Extracurricular classes for children in English and environmental education during term time. · Continuous adult English classes in the evenings, to park wardens, fishermen, police and tour guides. · Summer camp for children to learn English and become involved in environmental activities. · Youth conservation activities at the weekends. · English and environmental education in the Highlands of San Cristobal. · Special activities involving the community, including mural painting, coastal clean ups, presentations and other environmental awareness projects. |
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© 2004 New Era Galapagos Foundation | Website by Red Atom