The Republic of the Maldives is made of about 1200 islands originated from one of the most threatened animal groups in the world, corals. Currently facing unprecedented challenges from natural and anthropogenic stressors, corals are indispensable to the local population. Coastal communities are those paying the highest price from the consequences of degraded reef ecosystems: beach erosion, sea-level rise, increased extreme weather events, and possible population migrations. The entire Maldivian population relies on the survival of coral reefs for ecosystem services, from tourism, to fisheries, to coastal protection. Yet, financial resources for initiatives on environmental education and protection on local islands are often limited, hampering the establishment of a network of ocean guardians. "Playing with Corals" aims to use the most popular sport in the Maldives, football, as a gateway to raise awareness on marine conservation and reef restoration. Football represents the tool to engage with a large pool of young people, to build local capacity (SDG4), to inspire the next generation, to bridge gender gaps (SDG5), to improve physical wellbeing (SDG3), to build children’s resilience and to increase knowledge and engagement in environmental conservation (SDG13) and active reef restoration (SDG14). The project was launched in May 2024 and it involves all five local islands of Faafu Atoll. Over the course of 2 years, 200 children between 10 and 14, and 20 trainers, including 25% females will be engaged. The project comprises theoretical and practical activities both for trainers and young participants carried out twice a year by a team of educators (Marine Sciences researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca's MaRHE Center and psychologists from the MiBTeC research center, and trainers from Inter Campus, the CSR department of F.C. Inter Milan) organizing multiple 7 days workshops in Faafu Atoll. Following each session, trainers will conduct activities independently in their home-islands. One of the long-term goals of the project is the restoration of a portion of reef in each island through the use of reef-stars and other restoration techniques introduced throughout the course. Moreover, football related activities will be used as a gateway to support a psychosocial intervention to encourage pro-environmental behaviours and more positive attitudes towards the marine ecosystem. The project’s impact will be evaluated on a regular basis through questionnaires to track the effectiveness over time of football training toward environmental education and participants’ willingness to make an active contribution.
Siena, F., Gobbato, J., Gabbiadini, A., Manfredi, A., Capellini, S., Monzani, J., et al. (2024). Playing with Corals: football as a gateway toward climate action and marine awareness. Intervento presentato a: Reef Futures - from December 9 to 13, 2024, Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Playing with Corals: football as a gateway toward climate action and marine awareness
Siena FM
;Gobbato J;Gabbiadini A;Manfredi A;Dehnert I;Seveso D;Galli P;Montano S
2024
Abstract
The Republic of the Maldives is made of about 1200 islands originated from one of the most threatened animal groups in the world, corals. Currently facing unprecedented challenges from natural and anthropogenic stressors, corals are indispensable to the local population. Coastal communities are those paying the highest price from the consequences of degraded reef ecosystems: beach erosion, sea-level rise, increased extreme weather events, and possible population migrations. The entire Maldivian population relies on the survival of coral reefs for ecosystem services, from tourism, to fisheries, to coastal protection. Yet, financial resources for initiatives on environmental education and protection on local islands are often limited, hampering the establishment of a network of ocean guardians. "Playing with Corals" aims to use the most popular sport in the Maldives, football, as a gateway to raise awareness on marine conservation and reef restoration. Football represents the tool to engage with a large pool of young people, to build local capacity (SDG4), to inspire the next generation, to bridge gender gaps (SDG5), to improve physical wellbeing (SDG3), to build children’s resilience and to increase knowledge and engagement in environmental conservation (SDG13) and active reef restoration (SDG14). The project was launched in May 2024 and it involves all five local islands of Faafu Atoll. Over the course of 2 years, 200 children between 10 and 14, and 20 trainers, including 25% females will be engaged. The project comprises theoretical and practical activities both for trainers and young participants carried out twice a year by a team of educators (Marine Sciences researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca's MaRHE Center and psychologists from the MiBTeC research center, and trainers from Inter Campus, the CSR department of F.C. Inter Milan) organizing multiple 7 days workshops in Faafu Atoll. Following each session, trainers will conduct activities independently in their home-islands. One of the long-term goals of the project is the restoration of a portion of reef in each island through the use of reef-stars and other restoration techniques introduced throughout the course. Moreover, football related activities will be used as a gateway to support a psychosocial intervention to encourage pro-environmental behaviours and more positive attitudes towards the marine ecosystem. The project’s impact will be evaluated on a regular basis through questionnaires to track the effectiveness over time of football training toward environmental education and participants’ willingness to make an active contribution.
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