Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience |  University of Cape Coast

As part of the 10th Anniversary Celebration activities of the Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (CCM-ACECoR), students of the centre were tasked to organise an outreach event for pupils in one of the schools within the coastal communities of the Central region.

The students selected Bakatsir Methodist Junior High School for the outreach event because of its special location, overlooking the Gulf of Guinea, with the Fosu Lagoon to its left. In the event held on the 9th June, 2023, the pupils were introduced to the activities of the centre, emphasizing some key research findings and contributions to policies such as the "Closed Fishing Season in Ghana".

Pupils of the junior high school expressed interest in attaining higher heights on the academic ladder. A discussion on how to maximise their time to achieve their goals was held, which led to discussing STEM and career opportunities.

The main highlight of the outreach event was a drama that depicted the detrimental effects of plastic pollution in aquatic environments. The pupils shared experiences where their parents brought home fish with plastics in their gut and fishing nets full of plastic instead of fish. As their quota to contribute to reducing the plastic menace in their communities, they were taught to reduce usage, reuse, and recycle plastic.

The event ended with students pledging to #BeatPlasticPollution with the 3Rs.