AOTE at El Capitan Canyon - View Brochure (PDF)
Jean-Michel Cousteau Family Camp - View Brochure (PDF)
Our program deals with the heart as much as the head through challenge
activities that focus on an individual's relationship to others, to the
environment and to the future.
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Ocean Futures Society believes that environmental education should emphasize our need to
be better stewards of natural resources and teach us how we can do a better job in living
more sustainably on this planet. Addressing these critical issues requires a new approach
to how we think about the future. Our Ambassadors of the Environment program is dedicated
to creating a new perspective for humankind’s relationship to its surroundings by focusing
on lifestyles that do not undermine the vitality of the planet’s life support system. The
Ambassadors program also inspires a sense of hope and optimism in our youth along with the
knowledge and tools to take positive action.
Developed by Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team, the Ambassadors of the Environment
program takes place in a natural setting, helping young people reconnect to nature.
Students are introduced to the natural wonders of the region’s environment and their
residents through slide shows, hikes, skin-diving excursions (where appropriate) and
discussions. They focus on issues of biodiversity, the unique characteristics of the
region, human impact and resource management. They participate in long-term monitoring and
restoration programs.
In addition, students are shown important principles of biological and ecological
sciences and how they relate to ecosystem sustainability. Students are challenged to
compare how a marine community functions to how their own communities back home operate,
exploring which is more sustainable and why. Sustainable characteristics of human
communities will be demonstrated and experienced in the camp’s solar collectors, composting
and recycle programs, gardens, integrated systems and efficiency programs. All of our camps
are continually upgrading their environmental systems with some having state-of-the-art
technologies such as composting toilets, waterless urinals, solar stills, modular solar
water heaters and photovoltaic systems.
Infused into the weeklong process are opportunities for students to learn more about
themselves and others through positive risk taking. Students are presented with personal
challenges that range from group initiatives that require individuals to work together, to
activities as diverse as rock climbing and hiking and other related "challenge" activities,
to problem-solving sessions that stress interconnections. Students will be given a
real-world simulation and role-playing exercise in which they create a sustainable community
that maintains economic and environmental well being for the long term.
Ocean Futures Society is making a substantial commitment to prepare the next generation
for the responsibilities they will inherit to manage the planet’s biospphere. Currently, we
have programs in California on Catalina Island and north of San Francisco, as well as Kona,
Hawai’i. As our Ambassadors of the Environment program expands, it will empower more young
people to take responsibility for their ecosystems and facilitate living more sustainable
lives.
Ocean Futures Society is actively seeking support for partnerships and products to help
develop Ambassadors of the Environment programs. This support will allow us to extend the
message of sustainability to more young people to help them understand that they can make a
difference.
A New Vision for the Next Generation
www.AOTE.org
AOTE at El Capitan Canyon - View Brochure (PDF)
Jean-Michel Cousteau Family Camp - View Brochure (PDF)
For more information:
Catalina Island Camps - View Site
Family Camp Application Forms - View Site
