Young Ambassadors in Réunion: Raising awareness through creativity

Our ‘Young Ambassadors for the Environment’ programme recently conducted a field mission in Réunion with one primary objective: to raise awareness among young people about protecting their island's exceptional biodiversity. The aim was to give children the keys to understanding and protecting their unique natural heritage.

Our primary mission is to raise awareness. To do this, we focused our efforts on organising creative workshops in several schools. Through simplified biodiversity murals and drawing activities, the children were able to express their vision of the environment and take ownership of the ecological issues affecting their region. The objective was simple: to use art as a tool to open dialogue and stimulate awareness.

The discussions that followed these workshops were particularly memorable. The relevance of the questions asked by the children confirmed the importance of our approach. ‘If we all pick up one piece of rubbish a day, will the whales have less stomach ache?’ asked Noa, aged 8, after drawing the ocean. This simple but powerful question perfectly illustrates how raising awareness can transform concern into a desire to take action.

These encounters reinforce our conviction that children are key players in change. By giving them the tools to understand the issues at stake, we enable them to become the future guardians of their territory. This mission once again demonstrates the relevance of our direct engagement in the field.