The Tribune

EDUCATION nonprofit organisation Sharks4Kids is excited to announce their official partnership with Bahamas National Trust.

BNT manages 32 national parks throughout The Bahamas, some of which are marine parks. Management requires both conservation and education to be successful.

The BNT Discovery Club Guardians completed a shark study, which was enhanced by a visit from Sharks4Kids to many of the schools and clubs in Nassau. This is just the beginning of this partnership, which will see the two organisations working together to increase awareness and education. In just three days, the team spoke on five radio shows, visited 11 schools, worked with two BNT Discovery Clubs and did a presentation for Ministry of Education teachers. In total they spoke with just over 900 students and teachers. Sharks4kids was also able to donate 12 copies of the book Norman the Nurse Shark to primary schools.

"BNT welcomes partnerships such as it has with Sharks4Kids, which allows for increased impact,"-said Portia Sweeting, director of education.

In 2011, The Bahamas shark sanctuary was established and a study released in 2017 found that shark and ray tourism generates nearly $114m US annually to the Bahamian economy.

"Sharks are vital to both the environment and the economy in The Bahamas and these students are the future. They will continue to protect these beautiful waters and the animals that inhabit them. We must empower and inspire them to be stewards for the oceans, now and always," said Jillian Morris, founder of Sharks4Kids.

The organisations are planning more outreach projects for the new school year and beyond.

There are 52 Discovery clubs in locations around The Bahamas. Interested schools or communities may contact BNT at 393-1317 or education@bnt.bs for more information. To learn more about Sharks4Kids, you can visit www.sharks4kids.com.