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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State Governor on Tourism, Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo has emphasized the need to inculcate conservation education in kids, adding that such early exposure to nature and culture provides them with a solid foundation on which they can build on nature experiences well into adulthood.
Mr. Kiyaramo who stated this when he received Queen Emmanuella Appah, winner of “Little Miss Star Nigeria 2022” pageant in his office in Yenagoa on Wednesday, maintained that conservation education for children is a valuable life resource, noting that children learn their most valuable life-lessons when they are young.
He stressed that ecotourism experiences for children remains a fun and wonderful way to get the entire family involved, saying that if one is looking for shorter family oriented eco-tourism activities in order to allow kids to gain nature experience, there are yet many possibilities parents and teachers can explore within their very environment.
“This is why it is so important that parents and teachers provide opportunities for kids to truly explore and experience the beauty of nature through meaningful and engaging outdoor educational activities in the form of school excursion trips to historic sites, such as museums, galleries, libraries, theatres and even cultural events”.
According to the governor’s aide on tourism, one way to instill respect, love for nature and sustainability in children is to make conscious efforts to introduce them to nature education, pointing out that children are never too young to experience nature and that making kids to spend quality time in nature will create in them the ability to appreciate their immediate surroundings.
“Children have a unique ability to develop empathy for varying cultures and practices different their own. So introducing them early into nature education creates an ideal opportunity to not only teach the children about nature, but also to introduce them to other cultures”, Mr. Kiyaramo said.
He further noted that: “Children are usually quite fascinated by these learning experiences, including the memories made, which could last in them for a lifetime”, adding that there are many family-oriented ecotourism activities in many destinations that are yet to be explored by children.
Earlier, the organiser of “Little Miss Star Nigeria Pegeant, Miss Jesinta Okwara, had explained that her organisation empowers women to realize their ambition and build self-confidence, acting as a catalyst for their future success.
She said the Little Queen Emmanuella Appah is embarking on a pet project known as ‘Back to School,’ to enable her reach out to local school-age children with the intention of providing shoes, clothing, school accessories and backpacks to eligible children, as according to her, the programme will bring assistance to families.
