Week 1 - Monday July 10th
Hi YELP Leaders and Parents!
What a great start to our week of YELP! It was great to meet the newest group of YELP leaders, we can't wait to see them learn about and tackle ocean issues throughout the week!
What did we do today?
- We started off our day with team bonding activities to get to know the youth leaders and have them understand what teamwork looks like in the YELP program!
- The YELPers were then set the challenge of completing a personal mind map reflection, focused on our Oceans! Each leader was super engaged and came up with some fantastic ocean themes and key messages.
- Afterwards, the YELPers spent the rest of their morning getting to know the aquarium, from the building itself to the animals and conservation messages hidden throughout the galleries!
- Communication is key for a team to function well, so, to challenge our amazing youth leaders, we set up an outdoor obstacle course (called, the Incredible Machine) that required them to practice their verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
- To end our day, we visited Ashby and Rogue in our new exhibit Steller's Bay, and heard about our amazing research programs by an interpreter at the Sea Lion Program!
Questions to ask your YELPers
- What is one new thing you learned about our conservation work at the Vancouver Aquarium during your gallery exploration?
- What was the most challenging thing about the 'Incredible Machine' communication exercise?
- What is the leading theory as to why Steller Sea Lion populations have declined? (hint: from the steller program)
Resources:
- Explore our Stellar Sea Lion Research Program - check out: https://www.vanaqua.org/act/research/steller-sea-lions
Thanks for a great day leaders! We look forward to the rest of the week!
