Odysseo @ the Schools: more than 2,200 students educated about ocean protection

Children from ZEP schools in Mauritius and Rodrigues were at the heart of an educational adventure that brought them closer to the ocean and its challenges. The closing ceremony of Odysseo @ the Schools, led by the Odysseo Foundation with the support of the Australian High Commission in Mauritius and Australian Aid, provided an opportunity to review the achievements of a year-long programme that exceeded its objectives.

Following the official speeches on June 11, a panel discussion moderated by Bernardo Nascimento, who served as Manager of the Odysseo Foundation until June 12, 2026, brought together several project stakeholders to reflect on its impact on young people.

Launched to raise awareness among Grade 4 students about marine biodiversity and ocean conservation, the programme reached 2,228 students, surpassing the initial target of 2,000. A total of 49 schools participated, including all ZEP schools in Mauritius and nearly all those in Rodrigues. We chose to be ambitious, and we were right to do so because not only did we achieve our goals, but we exceeded them,” said Lea de Oliveira, Programme Manager at the Odysseo Foundation.

Beyond the numbers, speakers emphasized the human impact of the project. For Caroline Rault, President of the Odysseo Foundation, the challenge extends far beyond the classroom. “Young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow; they are already agents of change today,” she stated.

This strong youth engagement left a lasting impression on all the teams involved in the project. Marine Betty-Baptiste, Senior Supervisor of Education at Odysseo Oceanarium, highlighted the importance of educating children from an early age. “Children are the future. They need to understand the importance of the environment and know how to act to protect it,” she explained.

For Shivanee Vencatachellum, Communication Manager at the Odysseo Foundation, the mission to Rodrigues remains one of the highlights of this edition. She spoke about the commitment of the teams and the enthusiasm of the students. “We were all driven by the same objective. The children in Rodrigues still remembered what they had learned two years earlier. It was an incredibly proud moment.”

The project also incorporated a creative dimension through the association Trash to Music, which transforms waste materials into musical instruments. For JP, a representative of the organization, this approach helps change perceptions of waste. “Our role was to show that something considered useless can be transformed into something valuable.”

Institutional partners also praised the initiative. Raj Kumar Gopaul, Acting Director at the Ministry of Education, highlighted the importance of such programmes for students. “This initiative helps attract children to school and provides them with opportunities they might otherwise never have had.”