Update interview Maya Mathias

Interview April 2021

Could you tell us what has happened since we interviewed you in March 2018 with regards to Greenkidz movement?
Since 2018 we have grown as a foundation and developed many more educational programs for Green toddlers, Greenkidz, Greenteens and Green teachers. We have also upgraded our website so that all our new materials and videos are available to everybody for free. We have invested in partnerships with Carmabi and the Children’s Museum Curaçao and are going to launch a project in the future aiming to enrich the formal primary school curriculum with more nature and environmental programs and teaching materials that focus on our own specific nature and underwater world. We are also focusing more on blended learning and developing e-books, e-learns and instruction videos. Together with Carmabi we are “morfing” a part of the Savonet Museum in Christoffel Park into a “Korsou Limpi hoek” were the thousands of schoolchildren that visit the museum on a yearly basis during their fieldtrips, can learn more about waste and litter and recycling in fun and interactive manner.

How has the Covid-pandemic affected your business?
This year we have not been able to do many activities for schools that we had planned, but we have invested more time and effort in designing digital online products and materials such as our stay safe newsletter and in forming partnerships to reach more youth with less money and facilities by creating more synergy between different youth organizations.

What are some of the obstacles that you are encountering to make people more aware of the importance of having a “green” mindset? And how are you finding ways to overcome these obstacles?
We feel that the government unfortunately does not have enough financial resources and innovative policy’s in place to act on their words and wishes of becoming a greener and cleaner island and that greenwashing and window dressing is very hip at the moment. Lots of slogans, but few real sustainable actions and real changes or new (greener) laws being made. So it is up to citizens, teachers and youth to change their behaviors themselves from the bottom up. We feel that the Covid crises, has put many people in a survival mode, regressing back to old (polluting) behaviors, choosing political parties with slim green agenda’s where we could also use this period for deep reflection and real change.

What are some of the next steps that you are planning to do in the short and long term and how can we as Share2Uplift help in your endeavors via “Connecting, aligning and enabling impactful collaborations”?
We are looking for more alternatives and options to digitize so that we can reach many more people and youth with our message and educational materials in a playful, fresh and interactive manner. Any partners that could help us with that would be very welcome.