Some 400 students from the Colegio Artes y Oficios participated in a special day at the Ascanio Arosemena Training Center in October.
The students, who are in grades 7 to 12, and 8 teachers received started the day with a talk on water resource management and the behavior of rainfall and rivers in the watershed.
They then participated in a session on socio-environmental management in the Canal Watershed.
Danna Sosa, a maritime bachelor’s student, said that “I found the information necessary, important and even worrying. We learned how the dry year was handled in 2019 and we talked about the future of water supply.”
The day culminated with a conversation with the Youth Network for the Environment and the Canal Watershed. Youth from the different water regions of the watershed explained what the network does, how it works with the Canal and the advisory councils. Alliances with foundations and non-profit organizations that support the network and support its credibility were highlighted.
Ricardo Quintana, from the Chagres-Alhajuela water region, narrated his journey from Watershed Guardians to participation in the youth network. “In our network, small actions become big”.
Quintana culminated by urging the students to join efforts to protect the environment surrounding the Panama Canal. “There was a very special atmosphere after the question and answer period, it was very interactive. I was very excited to see that our experiences motivated them,” Quintana explained to El Faro.
