CCMI opens summer scholarships to local students

| 21/05/2021 | 6 Comments
  • Cayman News Service
  • Cayman News Service
  • Cayman News Service

(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is offering six scholarships for selected local students to attend a two-month intensive Young Environmentalist Leadership Course (YELC) this summer to help train young Caymanians to be skilled and enthusiastic environmental ambassadors. The programme, which is now in its tenth year, was created to provide an opportunity for local students to continue their educational pathway in the marine sciences. It is open to high school students and recent graduates, aged between 15 and 19, who are invited to apply now directly to the CCMI.

Successful applicants will begin the programme with their dive training in Grand Cayman in early July. The course concludes with a 10-day experience at the Little Cayman Research Centre with CCMI’s research and education professionals.

As well as getting Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications, the students will work on field projects, take part in night dives, lionfish dissections, CV workshops, mock job interviews, and assist with CCMI’s ongoing research. The YELC programme was created to build skilled and enthusiastic environmental ambassadors while bridging an important gap for local students who may not have access to post-school education in the Cayman Islands.

Now that the programme has successfully run for nine years, CCMI said that YELC alumni are taking professional roles in the dive tourism and environmental science fields.

Sponsored by Foster’s and Cayman National Bank, the YELC programme has supported more than 85 students on their journey to learning about the marine environment while also helping to develop important soft skills that will serve participants well in any career path they choose.

For more information visit CCMI’s website,

Application forms can be downloaded here and submitted to CCMI’s education department at education@reefresearch.org no later than end of day on 11 June 2021.


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Category: Education, Local News, Marine Environment, Science & Nature

Comments (6)

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  1. CCMI says:

    Hello Anonymous – yes, this course is as strictly means tested as we can administer. We work with a range of education entities and NGOs to target students who need support, to create opportunities for students who have the intent and the ability but not the means to grow and develop because they were given the opportunity via scholarships such as this one.

    Best

    Kate

  2. Ash McKnight says:

    As far as I’m concerned, the YELC program is the one that has introduced more of our local Caymanian kids into becoming the activist such as the Mangro Rangers, and I see more of the graduates from this program working in the various watersports industry than any other program has been able to. Keep up the good Work CCMI

  3. Anonymous says:

    Sad that the simple lack of comments suggests a general lack of interest. I know only one young person who has taken this opportunity. Great work CCMI and all the best to those teens who apply.

    Many parents are content with their teen sitting at home vegetating on video games all summer. Not good!

    • CCMI says:

      Hello Anonymous,

      We have supported over 80 students since the course started, roughly 10 a year on this. We work with CIFEC, plus several other NGOs and the local government schools, so whilst not all parents may be aware of this, we make sure as many people in the education process are. Thank you for the support – please be assured that whilst press coverage is amazing (thank you CNS, who always covers scholarships and info for local students), we work extremely hard to recruit from a range of areas. Your concern is valid -but we work very hard to recruit kids. To respond to the poster below, our courses are extremely vigorously means teased and we recruit where there is genuine need.

      Best wishes

      Kate

  4. Anonymous says:

    Great opportunity but, sadly, many will turn up their nose at it.

  5. Anonymous says:

    This is great and I hope vigorously means tested.

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