Amna Ibrahim Hassan

COP18: Educating Bahraini children for a sustainable future

COP18 (30/11/2012) – Amna Ibrahim Hassan, Awareness Committee of the Environment Friends Society, describes how the culture of Bahrain has lost touch with traditional impulses to protect the environment as a result of industrialisation in the Arab region. She says she is working to bring back knowledge and values on the environment in a series of awareness campaigns.

These campaigns focus on re-establishing Bahrain’s relationship with the sea, through successful co-operation with the Fishermen’s Union to protect the coral reefs, and by running the Dream programme to offer workshops to children aged 6-16 every week. She believes that children must be educated in traditional environmental knowledge, so that they are ready to advance sustainable practices.

She says that across the world there is a rising interest in young people’s opinions, and suggests that the paradigm of decision making is shifting. She is looking forward to attending the march in Doha to promote environmental slogans in chants and on banners.