What a year it’s been for the students at our TUI Junior Academy Jamaica, who are now enjoying a well-deserved summer break after another academic year.

The TUI Junior Academy programme inspires young people to protect nature and wildlife and empowers them to become Eco Champions in their communities. It builds awareness in schools about the fragility of nature and brings the classroom to life through excursions and nature-based experiences. But accessing education is not always easy for children and young people in Jamaica, and for children with disabilities, it’s even more challenging.

The TUI Care Foundation has been working with the Rockhouse Foundation to put environmental education on the curriculum for 400 children, who’ve enjoyed learning about the impact of waste on our marine environment, as well as taking part in an annual Eco Champions day and environmental campaigns. The school has also been encouraging the use of simple energy, recycling and water conservation techniques, at school, home and in the community.

A highlight of the project is working with Sav Inclusive in Savanna-la-Mar – a school for children with health conditions and impairments and a pioneer in inclusive education in Jamaica’s public education system. In a drive to become a greener, more sustainable school, it now proudly boasts solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system. Collaboration with the Ministry of Education and joint field trips and workshops with five other schools in the parish of Westmoreland also means that more schools are implementing similar recycling and clean energy water harvesting systems at their facilities, and an estimated 2,000 students and adults are now making changes to help protect the environment.

It’s great to see the students and local communities learning about how they can make a positive difference to the planet.