(Photograph provided by Amy Avenant)
The Junior Park Warden (JPW) program officially launched in 2000, with a central theme of fostering stewardship of the environment in the youth of the TCI. Ideally, students who graduate from the program will be advocates for the environment and will go on to become environmental leaders in the community, working with DEMA, and other agencies, to foster environmental sustainability in the TCI. The JPW program aims to educate the youth of the TCI regarding current environmental problems and their potential consequences, as well as encourage them to get involved in protecting the environment. After participating in the JPW program it is hoped that the participants will develop and display environmental stewardship and leadership.
In addition, JPW gives the youth an opportunity to see, first-hand, what the responsibilities of the DEMA staff are, as well as the various projects DEMA has developed and are currently undertaking. It is hoped that this encourages students to consider a future as environmentalists, ecologists, marine biologists or conservationists. Thanks to past programs, some participants of JPW have furthered their education in environmental fields and have taken up careers in environment.
Participants in the JPW Program will learn about how they can protect their natural environment through utilising what they would usually discard, and by making informed decisions when purchasing products, throwing things away and conserving resources (particularly non-renewable resources). They will learn about the underwater environment by SCUBA diving and snorkelling, as well as environmental protection and monitoring.
The program is run every summer, usually around mid-July. For more information please contact the Department at
The JPW program would not be possible without the generous support from the Pine Cay Project.