Nature needs advocates.
And kids are the best ambassadors for nature! Let me introduce you to the project „Guardiàn de las Aves”, which was launched by Niky Carrera Levy & Mauro Ossa to connect children with nature conservation through birds.
Since 2019, a countrywide contest has been held every year in which 934 children from the 32 departments of Colombia have participated. Fifty bird kits (binoculars, vests, caps, T-shirts, and a guide to the birds of Colombia) have been distributed to help shaping the kids knowledge and changing adults’ awareness of their relationship with nature.
The children are trained as ambassadors for nature, visit educational institutions and give talks about birds and the importance of protecting nature.
Through their stories, pictures and experiences, they raise awareness of nature in their immediate surroundings and help to broaden the horizons of their family, friends and within their school.
In addition, they share their content via social media and thus create an even greater, supra-regional reach.
I was able to meet some of these children in November at the Birdcamp as part of the Avescaldas conference in Caldas, Colombia, and was impressed by their knowledge, openness and drive.
Niky & Mauro handing over the ZEISS Terra ED binoculars.
Take Juan, 13 years old. He was driven to promote the social inclusion of deaf children who are limited in outdoor and nature activities, such as bird watching. How could they learn about the wonderful sounds of birds?
This idea led him to develop a technical aid that would allow deaf people to experience the sounds of the bird world. This was the birth of the “WINGS OF INCLUSION” project:
Based on his limited knowledge of electronics and programming, a prototype is generated so that the birdsong (sounds) are transformed into vibrations and in this way the children can feel the birdsong. The project is still under construction, but once it is finished it is considered that the impact will be significant on deaf children.
And Pipe, also 13 years old, won the 2024 Birdcamp’s big expedition with his in-depth knowledge of avifauna.
Both are examples of the incredible talent in these kids!
In Europe, we continue to look at Colombia with skepticism and reservations. We associate this country with corruption and violence. These prejudices prevent us from visiting this friendly and diverse country. In my view, it is more than appropriate to look behind the scenes. Not only is there biodiversity in a class of its own, there are also numerous people who are driving forward initiatives full of passion, which we can definitely take inspiration from.
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