Opportunity: I believe there is a need for a comprehensive shark education program in South Florida.
Teachers, home school parents/educators, community groups and organizations could benefit from a shark focused education center. Indirectly, dive shops and other local businesses will benefit in the long run because educated kids will make more informed and sustainable decisions as adults. This will lead to healthy ocean ecosystems which will also support the economy. This has been seen in the Bahamas were it estimated that shark and ray tourism generates $114 million USD annually. This means sharks are worth more alive than dead in this region.
People around the world are afraid of sharks. In many cases, fear and misunderstanding has led to lack of support for legislation to protect these animals. It is estimated that approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year. This is from targeted fisheries (both large scale and small scale commercial and recreational) and as bycatch (non target species). In South Florida, commercial and recreational shark fishing are legal and both have garnered increased attention in recent years. One of the most significant issues in South Florida is beach shark fishing. While many fishermen are obeying the rules, it’s the people who are repeatedly breaking them, who are making all fishermen look bad. Beach fishing causes high stress on a caught animal and research has proven that there are high post release mortality. South Florida is a hot bed for shark issues as well as movements to protect sharks. Because of these reasons and a lack of full understanding about the science of these animals and conservation efforts, I believe an education center is needed and would be successful.
The center would provide educational programs, hands on shark science experiences as well as courses and lectures for students and adults. It would be an extension of the already successful online education program Sharks4Kids has built. We have a large audience and are constantly getting asked for additional programs for students of all ages. People want to fly their kids in from around the world to work with us.
Who: Local teachers, environmental educators, home school parents/educators.
What: Lack of shark focused education, focusing on science and conservation.
Why: Sharks are a controversial topic and because of the fear associated with them, facts are often not provided. This, along with misunderstanding, does not allow people to see the reality of sharks.
Testing: I actually sat down and made lists for each section and tried to think outside the box for each component. My interviews also helped me see some different perspectives.
Who:
Students who want to learn more about sharks.
Troop leaders ( Boy scouts and Girl Scouts) looking for additional activities.
Parents with students interested in sharks.
Dive instructors or guides wanting to learn more about the animals they sea
Lifeguards.
Tourists visiting the area.
What: It’s more than just a lack of a specific space to learn about sharks. There are lots of programs in South Florida where people learn about sharks, as well as centers or aquariums to visit. How would we compete? Why bother? Will we draw enough people?
Schools are always looking for additional resources and opportunities to field trips. The center would focus on one group at a time, providing a more interactive experience for each student. Shark education is really important, but I think the biggest component of the what, is a need for more hands on and experimental learning opportunities for people, primarily students, in the area.
Why: My initial why was simply based on my experiences in South Florida and seeing the fear and lack of education surrounding sharks. I felt like this was enough of a reason to create something to change the perspective and the conversation. I created Sharks4Kids because I believe students can make a difference and can save sharks, but it’s beyond this. People are become more aware of the impact we make and want to be part of something. They want to contribute and make better decisions for the planet. Yes, sharks are in trouble, but the oceans in general are in trouble and the community wants to do better. The Why goes beyond just sharks, but actually connects to the topics of global citizenship, climate change, plastic pollution, Red tide and many others. Sharks would be the focal point, connecting people to much larger global issues.
This is also a problem because sharks are vital for healthy ecosystems. Many are apex predators and removal of them can have a cascading impact. For example: If fish stocks go down, due to removal of too many sharks, not only is the local ecosystem impacted, but those who rely on it are as well. Fishermen, restaurants that buy fish from local vendors, dive shops who take people to see healthy reefs...etc. The impact is much further reaching than people often understand.
There is also a positive why, which is some people love sharks and are fascinated by them. They want to learn more and not just from reading something on the internet or watching Shark Week. They want their own experiences and to see aspects of shark science and conservation they might otherwise not have the chance to.
Interviewees
Middle school science teacher
Elementary ( grade 3 & 4) science teacher
High school science and marine science teacher
Home school parent (3)
Girl Scout troop leader
Summary of Interviews:
The biggest takeaway from the interviews was that my ideas of who, what and why were
pretty narrow. My own experiences and knowledge shaped my beliefs, but getting outside of
those thoughts helped me to see a larger connection and concept. I selected people who I
thought would use the center. I added the troop leader when I got a
message about doing a presentation at a meeting. My belief was school teachers and homeschool
parents would be the main visitors to an education center.
Although I interviewed the people I believed will make up the main demographic of those visiting, they gave me ideas about other visitors. Once the conversations started, I also started to think beyond just the educational sector. I had been asked by a lifeguard to do a presentation, so thought they might interested in programs.
The traditional school teachers highlighted a few key elements of wants and needs including hands on activities, learning from experts, small group interactions, take home lessons to follow up the visit or use as prep. They also liked the idea of aligning some of the programs with specific state or county requirements ( NGSS or Sunshine State Standards). They also want to connect sharks to larger global issues and concepts, as this is a way of encouraging the school to book these visits. They said budget and scheduling would be aspects to consider and would prefer the ability to book closer to the time of the visit. They would also want the ability to adapt programs to meet their specific curriculum needs as well as coincide with a unit they were teaching. They want kids to connect to the idea of being a global citizen. Our actions have an impact and are affecting people and places beyond the scope of our daily lives. They also want kids to learn how to be proactive and help the environment. Sustainability has become more than a buzz word and people, corporations and organizations around the world are working to be more sustainable. If we teach students at an early age, they will carry these tools with them.
Home school parents/educators were really excited about another opportunity for their kids to not only have experiential learning, but also a social activity. Home school and online education is rapidly growing, so this is definitely a target market. We have run programs with home school groups and they’ve been very successful. They are constantly reaching out and asking for more programs. Budget was more of a concern with this group than with the teachers, as its coming out of pocket, rather than from the school. One member of a home school group said they have some funding, but the price would need to be reasonable. We would definitely need to work with groups to understand what is reasonable in order to make this opportunity feasible and profitable.
The troop leader was actually a great insight into the world of after school or evening programs. It made me think about science clubs, environmental groups and other extracurricular groups. This groups area also looking for opportunities to see and experience hands on science. It’s a market I had not thought of, so was really excited to find this additional opportunity.
Parents: Some of the people are interviewed are parents and loved the idea of visiting the center on a weekend or attending specialty evening or weekend presentations.
Collectively the people I interviews liked the idea of the center being small and working with groups one on one. It was mentioned that in aquariums or larger centers, multiple groups are visiting, so students do not get a chance to ask questions or interact with an expert. The experience can also be rushed because aquariums are designed to move people through. These are interesting elements to consider and ones which can help us stand out and be successful.
Overall, the interviews provided me with a lot of additional ideas I had not thought of. I am not a traditional educator, so speaking to teachers was vital. Just because I think something would be cool or interesting, doesn’t mean it would necessarily attract visitors or groups. They have needs which have to be met in order to make field trips possible.
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