Workshop #7: Tree 4 Us

Global Issue: Deforestation

American School of Recife

Learning Center 1

Essential Question:

Why is the biome Atlantic Forest in danger and we are in the need to save it?

We have donated 70 seedlings throughout school’s community and planted 15 inside the territory of the American School of Recife by the end of 2017. Using the help of our mentors we acquired the contacts to buy the seedlings, we organized to donate them at the Thanksgiving ceremony in school, we divided our selves into tasks where we could accomplish every goal and strategically act towards to save this important biome that we need to preserve.

Deforestation and Atlantic Forest. In Brazil, the Atlantic forest plays an important role in biodiversity. But unfortunately, there is less than 12% of atlantic forest. It is hard to quantify how much of the forest still remains. (Atlantic Forest supports one of the highest degrees of species richness and rates of endemism on the planet, but has also undergone a huge forest loss. However, there exists no broad-scale information about the spatial distribution of its remnants that could guide conservation actions, especially when systematic biodiversity data are not available. In this context, our objectives were to quantify how much of the forest still remains,) Therefore, We want to PLANT MORE TREES IN OUR SCHOOL AND IN PERNAMBUCO. We also want to permanently donate ATLANTIC FOREST SEEDLINGS TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY because we want to increase the number of trees from this vegetation.

We have donated 70 seedlings throughout school’s community and planted 15 inside the territory of the American School of Recife by the end of 2017. Using the help of our mentors we acquired the contacts to buy the seedlings, we organized to donate them at the Thanksgiving ceremony in school, we divided our selves into tasks where we could accomplish every goal and strategically act towards to save this important biome that we need to preserve. We are working in the school community to spread the concern to save the Atlantic forest, we need to save Brasil’s biodiversity which is one of the most important traits the country has. We work for the population to know that not only is important to preserve this specific biome, but it is very important to preserve life. Our plans and actions do not have a expiring date, we are just never ending it. This is not a project for GIN or for high school. It is our legacy. We are always trying to improve due to help this enormous issue, deforestation.

Our plans and actions do not have a expiring date, we are just never ending it. This is not a project for GIN or for high school. It is our legacy. We are always trying to improve due to help this enormous issue, deforestation.  

Workshop #8: Fish Awareness

Global Issue: Fisheries Depletion

Escola Americana de Campinas

Learning Center 2

Essential Question:

Which fish in particular are under threat and what can we do to save them?

Our group is raising awareness about the danger of overfishing- specifically Atlantic Cod, and Atlantic Salmon, all of which are becoming endangered. Before the industrial age, marine life was sustainable because fishermen used could not access far locations in the ocean and they had a limited capacity for fish aboard their ships. Supply has increased exponentially in the last few decades due to technological advancements. Demand has also increased with the rise of sushi bars and restaurants and people’s demand for eating ‘healthy’ -plus it’s chic to eat sushi. We are using the opinion of students at EAC and various professionals and organizations as resource for our project, with the help of these people we have created a video that will be shared with the objective of raising awareness about the harm overfishing is causing to the environment strategies, hopefully we will be able to accomplish our goal of effectively making fish consumers aware of problems overfishing causes.

Our goal is to help people become aware of what is happening in regard to how fish come from the ocean to the table. We thought that a survey would give an idea of what information people already know and what they don’t know about consuming fish. The challenge is to get people to change behavior and choose a different fish and stop eating sushi. Our team is setting an example for other to follow. We were inspired to this project because we all love eating sushi and we all eat it on a regular basis, however it never came through our minds the devastation it was causing to the environment consuming so much fish; according to marine ecologists, overfishing is the greatest threat to ocean ecosystems today. We will need to assess which information people don’t know about overfishing and consuming fish and which pieces of information make a difference for people to change behaviors to top eating these fish.

We will have our audience take a survey about how much they eat fish and what they know about which fish in particular are under threat and what can we do to save them? We will share the results of the survey. Our group will share a video about how this environmental problem can cause the extinction of several species of fish. With the video, we hope that people will consume fish more consciously and decrease overfishing. The species of fish that have been most affected by overfishing are the Atlantic Halibut, Bluefin Tuna, and shrimp. Fish is a common meal all around the globe, and very few people know the consequences of the methods used to fish, so this project has as its main goal to bring awareness to fish eaters. Before beginning this project, all the harm that humans are doing to the environment and to all fish population was unknown to my group, and after research we were surprised by the devastation caused and decided to spread the word. In result, my team looked for alternative fish that tasted similar to the ones in endangered. We are trying to change our habits and are setting an example to be followed by others in order to help preserve the marine life.

We will continue to raise awareness and talk to our friends and classmates. We may continue this project through CAS (Community Action and Service) for Grades 11 and 12.

Workshop #9: Addressing Diabetes in Low-income Communities

Global Issue: Massive Step-up in the Fight Against Poverty

Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro

Arena Lobby

Essential Question:

What are the main challenges that diabetics face in low-income communities, and how can we help?

We have successfully served 20 people in a community from Rio de Janeiro by mobilizing our school to raise awareness, by organizing a food drive to collect diabetic friendly goods, and by working with an individual (who was directly tied to a diabetic clinic) to deliver the food baskets to the 20 patients from September to November of 2017.

In response to an alarmingly fast increase in diabetes-related mortality rates in Brazil over recent years, especially in underprivileged communities, the GIN club teamed up with a doctor from Clinica Iraci Lopes, a low income community located in the North of Rio, to provide food baskets with non-perishable and diabetes-friendly food for patients. The purpose of this project was to assist these patients with more immediate needs, but also to provide them with information regarding nutritious food items that they can purchase for affordable prices.