After an intense week of learning, 52 more students received certificates from the Guardians campaign last Friday to increase Samoa's footprint in environmental advocacy.

The additional students are now part of over 1000 others who have completed the program since its inception in 2018, according to the non-government organisation, Conservation International in a statement released on Saturday.

The campaign was hosted as part of Samoa’s Environment Week celebrations with students from five primary schools joining the hands-on learning experience. The students were mentored by experts in the fields of sustainable fishing, coral reef ecosystems, mangrove ecosystems, waste management, and traditional voyaging.  

The Director of the Conservation International office in Samoa, Le’ausālilō Leilani Duffy-Iosefa, was elated at the graduation and said they are looking forward to 2024. 

“The Guardians campaign this week was the last one for 2023 and we were very happy to receive students from schools so close to the exam period," said Le’ausālilō. "We look forward to working again with our partners in 2024 to deliver this important campaign to continue to inspire our young people."

One of the student participants, Yaonosuke Yoshida of Robert Louis Stevenson School, described how participating in the program was an "eye-opening experience".

"There is so much to learn about our beautiful precious fragile environment – a treasure worth preserving for everyone. My favourite part of the Guardians is the voyaging program," said Yoshida. 

"I have learned a lot of traditional and survival skills and living off the environment from the Gaualofa teacher. I recommend all young students to participate and become Guardians of our beautiful environment."

The schools that participated in the Guardians program during last week’s celebrations included students from Vaiala Beach School, Saint Peters Channel Primary School, Ah Mu Academy, Lē Amosā Primary School, Robert Louis Stevenson School and All Saints Anglican Primary School. 

The Guardians environmental education program is a partnership implemented jointly by Conservation International and the Government of Samoa through its various agencies, non-government organisations and civil society organisations in Samoa. The programme last week was undertaken with the guidance of mentors, educators and volunteers from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), and the Samoa Voyaging Society (SVS). 

The Guardians program is supported by the New Zealand Government Manaaki Programme and the Waitt Foundation.