This project provides funding to learning endeavors to implement its project which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve…

This $80,000 federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951) will fund a comprehensive environmental education initiative led by Learning Endeavors, a woman-owned non-profit organization. The project will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques to increase environmental literacy and promote pro-environmental behaviors in the Hawaiian Islands and several Pacific territories, including American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Palau.

Key activities include refining and expanding an existing "Champions of Coastal Resilience" wetland education curriculum, training a cohort of eight trainers from local organizations and schools, and providing ongoing support as the trainers facilitate teacher training and student learning activities. The project aims to enhance partnerships between educators, schools, and community groups, increase wetland education and stewardship activities in secondary schools, raise community awareness about coastal resilience, and support wetland restoration efforts. In addition to the primary award to Learning Endeavors, the project will provide eight sub-awards to eligible local organizations and schools to participate in the train-the-trainer program and implement community-based environmental education initiatives.

This project provides funding to learning endeavors to implement its project which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy and encourage behavior that will benefit the environment in the hawaiian islands of maui, molokai, hawaii, and kauai kihei. Project activities will also take place in american samoa (tutuila, aunuu, manua, OFU, and olosega), the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (saipan, tinian, and rota), guam and palau. The grantee will do this by developing a capacity building environmental education project that will increase community resilience in the face of climate change. This project will develop a coastal resilience train-the-trainer program that builds local educator capacity for wetland education and restoration. This project will also prepare students to lead coastal resilience efforts in their communities by connecting indigenous cultural knowledge of coastal wetlands with scientific knowledge. This agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $80,000. Activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in the hawaiian islands of maui, molokai, hawaii, and kauai, american samoa (tutuila, aunuu, manua, OFU, and olosega), the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (saipan, tinian, and rota), guam and palau and provide educators and students the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Activities to be performed during this project period include: refining and expanding the existing champions of coastal resilience (CCR) wetland education curriculum and methods for use in hawaii and modifying IT to scale to use in selected additional pacific islands, training a cohort of trainers from subrecipient organizations or schools to use new CCR wetland case study pedagogy and resources, and providing ongoing support for CCR trainers as they facilitate local teacher training and support student classroom and field-based learning. Subrecipient:eight subawards will be given to eligible organizations or schools. These subrecipients will select one education professional each to attend a train-the-trainer course. By completing this course, each individual representing their subrecipient organization will become a champion of coastal resilience (CCR) trainer. The eight CCR trainers will then work to build capacity for environmental education and coastal resilience in their respective communities. Additionally, subrecipients organizations will collaborate with learning endeavors to create activities designed to honor indigenous knowledge and historical significance of wetlands. Outcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: one set of champions of coastal resilience (CCR) trainer guide materials (including a printed guide, a website portal with access to digital resources including GIS activities and assessments surveys, a CCR trainer kit), eight teacher trainers joining the CCR train-the-trainer program, 80 teachers participating in CCR trainings and subsequently engage 1,920 students in classroom and field-based learning and stewardship activities, and 80 wetland field study and stewardship events for students. Expected outcomes of the project include: 1) enhanced partnerships between teachers, schools and community partners, 2) increased wetland education and stewardship activities in secondary schools, 3) increased community awareness of the need for coastal resilience, and 4) increased wetland restoration efforts. The intended beneficiaries include educators, students, and local organizations (subaward recipients) in hawaii (maui, molokai, hawaii, and kauai), american samoa (tutuila, aunuu, manua, OFU, and olosega), the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (saipan, tinian, and rota), guam and palau.