Celebrating National Women's month reminded us of the decisions that we have made along our decade long journey to ensure that girls and women are represented and championed in our programmes. All of I AM WATER's workshops happen during the school day. This did not happen by chance, it was an active decision made when it was observed that when running after-school programmes, almost 100% of the participants were boys. We choose to run our workshops during the school day to ensure that we are reaching girls and introducing them to the ocean as a place where they can be included, where they can interact with positive woman role models and they can make a difference.
The average gender split of our workshops per season is 60% girls and 40% boys and 85% of our permanent staff are women.
As August draws to a close we want to showcase one of our amazing Coaches and Lead Coordinators, Malecia Williams. In her own words, this is what I AM WATER means to Malecia:
"I have been working for I AM Water for 3 years now and it’s been an absolutely humbling and fulfilling journey for me, giving back to my community and then also becoming more and more connected to the ocean and the environment around me. The most amazing part of being a coach and lead coordinator at I AM WATER is that I get to meet so many kids and I get to work alongside amazing individuals who have a deep love for the ocean. Being on this journey has improved my communication and leadership skills. I love the spirit of coming together as a team to share our knowledge and love for the ocean with the kids, while also having an amazing experience exploring the underwater world together".