What Exactly is Water Explorer?
Water Explorer is an online international programme for students aged 8-14 to encourage community involvement and inspire action! Students take part in challenges, track progress, and see how much water they can save from small daily changes! The challenges are formulated to teach students about key water issues.
Throughout the programme, schools must be independent and motivated, but have access to all the resources GAP has to offer! Winning schools showed initiative in their online challenges.
Water Explorer is now in 11 countries! This gives students the opportunity to collaborate with other students throughout the world. This gives them valuable knowledge to make sustainable choices in their own lives. As a result, this encourages them to act sustainably within their communities.
Top teams earn the chance to represent their country at the International Awards!
And the winner is…
4th-6th class students at Rathlee reached 724 people in their community with their message on water reduction and conservation. Together, they saved 758,000 litres of water! Nearly 140 people committed to changing their lifestyle habits in favour of sustainability.
This was no easy feat! To win, students brought their entire community together in the name of water savings. Additionally, they installed rainwater-harvesting systems on their family farms. These devices worked to collect drinking water for their livestock. They even developed a water saving campaign throughout schools and shops in their community using homemade posters with ‘tap tips’. But they didn’t want their impact to stay within Ireland. Together, they hosted a ‘secret water swap shop’ to raise funds for students in South Africa!
A well-deserved congratulations to Rathlee National School for their hard work. On to the International Water Explorer Awards in London later this year!
This Year’s Top Teams!
Other top teams in Ireland this year were Donahies Community School, Our Lady of Victories Boys’ National School, and Scoil Mhuire of Co. Dublin.
Our Lady of Victories Boys’ National School won the Precious Water award. Together, they saved 771,000 litres! The entire school engaged in Water Explorer since the beginning of the academic year! To increase awareness, they invited an environmental expert to help develop sustainable practices!
Scoil Mhuire won the Fresher Water Award at the last minute. They joined in the final days of the challenge and worked hard to promote the importance of fresh and clean water in their community. They’ve learnt how to filter water, how to use the plentiful rainwater we have here in Ireland and have even used some of their grow-it-yourself produce in their school lunches!
How to Register Your Team
Register your Water Explorer Team or Youth Group online at waterexplorer.ie/sign-up
Once you have registered, you are on your way to protecting the future of fresh water! Complete the student and teacher surveys, plan your Water Explorer Expedition, accept missions, and complete challenges!