| "People respond to seeing how the environment is viewed through the eyes of the younger generation." | |
| Genevieve Brighouse, Department of Commerce / American Samoa Coastal Management Program |
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Educating children about coastal issues is often seen as a way to preserve the shoreline of the future. Coastal resource staff in American Samoa are capturing how children view the coast, and are using it to reach both the children and the adults in the community today.
Every year, the Department of Commerce/American Samoa Coastal Management Program produces an Art and Tide Calendar featuring the artwork of American Samoan school children. It has become one of the most successful awareness campaigns the agency has undertaken, says Genevieve Brighouse, the Coastal Management Program's manager.
"The calendar has great value to us," Brighouse says. "It captures everyone's attention very simply rather than through a whole lot of words and pamphlets. People respond to seeing how the environment is viewed through the eyes of the younger generation."
A competition for the artwork is kicked off in September during CoastWeeks, Brighouse explains. The artwork must depict the theme of CoastWeeks, which last year was "From the Mountains to the Sea," and meet established criteria that include size and medium. The competition is open to all students at the elementary and high school levels.
A week before the October deadline, the schools select the best work from each class and submit them to the competition. A panel of four judges from the coastal program and partnering government agencies then selects an overall winner, whose work will be featured on the cover page; first-, second-, and third-place winners, whose works are displayed on the inside page and back cover; and a winner for each calendar month.
"We've gotten a great response. Every year we have over a hundred submissions," Brighouse says. "It's really difficult for us to judge because all of the artwork is great."
Corporations sponsor each month of the calendar, and the agency uses the funds to host an awards ceremony and banquet for the winners. Prizes are typically school supplies, such as "coloring books, posters, calculators. We try to provide many of the things kids need most during the school year," Brighouse says. Sponsors, such as the Bank of Hawaii, also may provide the winners with prizes, such as savings bonds.
After the calendar is printed, which takes about a month because the color separation is done off island, the winning pieces are framed and are donated to the pediatric ward at an island hospital, Brighouse says.
"It's a big endeavor, but we get a lot of mileage from the calendar," she notes. "Not only do we get name recognition, but it's been a successful partnership between the private sector and our partnering agencies, plus we provide a service back to the community. We would never get rid of the calendar."
For more information about the American Samoa Children's Art and Tide Calendar, contact Genevieve Brighouse at (684) 633-5155 or Gene.Brighouse@noaa.gov.
