Last year Sam Tucker, Doğan Eraslan and Serkan Tarım kayaked from Antalya to Fethiye raising 6000TL in sponsorship for Fethiye children’s charity, FIG (Fethiye International Group).
If you missed the ‘On Turkish Tides’ adventure you can read about it here.
How is the money being spent?
FIG have visited a number of schools in the area and highlighted projects where the money will be spent to benefit them in both educational and practical terms. The first project took place this week.
Kayacık School, marine conservation and a boat trip
On Tuesday, pupils from Kayacık School, experienced a different sort of school day – a visit to Fethiye where a day of learning and fun was planned.
FIG/FETAV arranged the day with TURMEPA (Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association) and was planned so it would be both educational and fun.
Educational
The first activity of the day was a session at the TURMEPA office in Fethiye. The session was run by Ersin Özer and the TURMEPA team and taught the children about the importance of keeping the seas clean and the effect of pollution on marine life.
The children had an opportunity to see some of the things found in the sea that are on display in the foyer of the TURMEPA office.
Things you find in the sea!
Everything on display at TURMEPA has been ‘fished’ out of the sea along the Mediterranean and Aegean coastline.
This dolphin was made from bottles – all from the sea!
What about the sea life?
These photographs, on display in TURMEPA, are a graphic reminder of the terrible injuries caused by rubbish in the sea!
Learning in a fun way
Next was a boat trip to Şovalye Island where the children took part in a mini beach clean up. They had the chance to see for themselves the types of rubbish that wash up from the sea. Sadly, they also saw some of the rubbish discarded by people.
TURMEPA led the children in some educational games on the beach.
Learning the fun way for Kayacık school at Şovalye Island from fethiyetimes on Vimeo.
Lunchtime
Then it was back to the boat for a lunch of chicken, pasta and salad.
Afiyet olsun!
Time for art
After lunch it was time for art activity and the children painted cards with a colourful picture of a turtle.
Written inside the card was a message for the children to take away….along with their memories of a lovely day.
Dünyamızı temiz tutalım – Çöpümüzü çöpe atalım! (Let’s keep our earth clean – Let’s throw away our rubbish!)
The people who made it possible
Thank you from FIG to the people for making the day such a huge success.
Ersin Özer and TURMEPA
Şemsi Toprak and FETAV
Sharon Baltacı and Kate Topcu for their support with the art session
Sibel Ilmeç Kaymakçı and the Sunkissed team
All the volunteers who came along on the day
Special thanks go to Sam Tucker, Doğan Eraslan and Serkan Tarım for their incredible effort to raise the money making possible for the children of Kayacık school to have such an amazing day.
A final word about TURMEPA
Since 2006 the Fethiye branch of TURMEPA have educated more than 70,000 people in Marine Conservation. They also carry out a programme of beach clean ups and their boats collect rubbish from the sea.
TURMEPA also have a range of environmentally cleaning products available from Migros
Click here to visit TURMEPA on Facebook
Click here for more information about FIG
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