March 2025: Involvement of New Caledonian school-children in the project
In the past few weeks, a class of twenty CM2 / Year 5 pupils from the Marie Havet primary school in Nouméa and their teacher, Audrey Mazeron, have become co-researchers at the crossroads of three research projects: SOCPacific2R, MaHeWa on marine heatwaves, and CLIPSSA on small-scale farmers’ adaptation to climate change.
In dialogue with researchers involved in these projects (Catherine Sabinot, Elodie Fache, Annette Breckwoldt), students from the University of New Caledonia (Amandine Aiglehoux, Elijah Tenene, Reine Wadieno), Vanessa Montagnat from the Direction de l’enseignement pédagogique de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Florian Barthe from the Symbiose association, and their teacher Audrey Mazeron, these young co-researchers defined two drawing instructions. They then proposed these instructions to the other CM2 in their school, whom they also interviewed upon completion of the drawings. The analysis of these drawings led these young co-researchers to adjust their two drawing instructions, later to be used for drawing workshops in primary schools in La Foa and Thio:
- Draw what might happen to fish and coral, vegetables and fruits, because of climate change.
- Draw what fishers and farmers can do to have fewer problems even if the planet warms up.
The schoolchildren in La Foa and Thio, after completing their given instructions, in turn also tested and adjusted a drawing instruction focusing on reef passages, to which the young co-researchers from Nouméa happily responded a few days later by each producing a corresponding drawing.
This video was launched during a climate-related event at SPC in Nouméa on the 26th of March: “Pacifique en transition – Regards croisés sur le climat”.
A big thank you to all the children who got involved in these activities and to the teaching staff who welcomed us and helped to make them a success.
