Young students on the island of Caye Caulker often have to travel to the main city of Belize to access and receive quality education.
Ocean Academy — the first and only high school on Caye Caulker — in partnership with Planeterra, are working together to effect change.
Prior to the opening of Ocean Academy in 2008, only 35 per cent of students continued schooling after primary school — resulting in many children choosing to join the workforce by the age of 12.
The opening of Ocean Academy has led to more than 90 per cent of students in Caye Caulker enrolled, with many of the students being the first in their families to attend high school.
“A lot of the young people when I came here in 2012 were not sold on formal education, because they could earn money out there,” said Noemi Zaiden, vice-principal of Ocean Academy.
“We believe in universal education, so we don't close our doors to any students to give them a chance to get a high school education,” said Zaiden.
Together, Ocean Academy and Planeterra worked to create a student-led bicycle tour of the island, now known as Bike with Purpose.
The initiative provides young people on Caye Caulker with an opportunity to develop skills and training in the tourism and hospitality industry for future employment opportunities.
“Throughout my years growing up, I was really shy and scared to break out of a shell,” said 15-year-old student and bike tour leader Nathaniel Rodriguez.
“But once I got into this program, it really helped me to overcome that fear of speaking with people,” he said.
Today, there are 125 students enrolled in Ocean Academy and 25 students directly involved in the Bike with Purpose project.
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