This fall, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) will award more than 400 scholarships to Year 6 students from the Cayman Island Government schools to attend the three-day, two-night residential Marine Ecology Course in Little Cayman, giving this entire cohort of students the opportunity to learn about and explore Cayman’s marine environment while building critical ocean literacy skills that will help shape the future of the island. The investment in so many scholarships for local students marks the largest expansion of education programmes in CCMI’s 28-year history.
The first classes arrived to the Little Cayman Research Centre in mid-September, and these courses will continue into January 2027, reaching all Year 6 students across 20 classes in all Government schools. The scholarships cover the cost of the students and chaperones participation in the Marine Ecology Course, including the flights, accommodation, and educational experience at CCMI. Ensuring all students have access to this programme is a key part of CCMI’s efforts to promote early marine sustainability education, which is vital to connect students with the ocean and develop their ocean literacy.
Awarding so many scholarships for this experience is the result of an ambitious goal announced by CCMI’s CEO Kate Holden at the Festival of Seas gala in 2025: to give the entire Year 6 cohort of students in Cayman Islands Government schools scholarships to experience the Marine Ecology Course as part of their education journey. The goal was met that evening, with Festival of Seas attendees, long-time CCMI supporters, and most significantly, a major commitment from Dart. Through additional support of the Boda Charitable Star Trust, CUC, and KPMG, CCMI reached the funding necessary to provide the necessary scholarships, making this goal a reality in its first year.
“When we asked our supporters to help us ensure that every Year 6 student in Cayman had the opportunity to truly learn about and connect with the ocean in a meaningful way at CCMI, they overwhelmingly said yes, investing in our vision of creating a generation of Caymanian students who are ocean literate,” said Kate Holden, CCMI’s CEO. “This fall, their impact will be felt as more than 400 students take part in a programme that creates life-long memories. When they snorkel on a coral reef, identify they marine life they see, learn about research happening in Cayman, and appreciate how much their lives are intertwined with the health of the ocean, we are building a generation of ocean ambassadors who will carry these experiences and the knowledge from CCMI with them as they become the decision makers in the community.”
The Marine Ecology Course is designed to build foundational ocean literacy in students, helping them how the ocean impacts them as well as how they have impact on the ocean. Led by the expert marine science educators at CCMI, the Marine Ecology Course uses a combination of classroom learning and activities as well as field experiences to explore important marine habitats in a safe and supported environment. The course teaches students about tropical marine ecology, Cayman’s unique marine and terrestrial habitats, and local and global conservation issues as they relate to the Cayman Islands. Through snorkelling, fish and coral identification, mangrove walks, beach cleanups, and other activities, students are exposed to valuable real-world applications of information learned in the classroom.
CCMI has long viewed early experiential learning as a powerful tool to engage with students and inspire them to become ocean stewards. For many students, this programme also offers unique personal growth opportunities, as it may be their first overnight trip from home or even first time flying on an airplane. Through 16 years of running the Marine Ecology Course, CCMI has evidence and feedback that this course is incredibly impactful in providing a base of knowledge about critical ocean and environmental topics, while teachers report seeing greater confidence, curiosity, and a willingness to reflect critically on human impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems.
Students themselves sometimes return from the programme expressing a stronger interest in marine science and conservation-related careers, while others demonstrate increased awareness of everyday actions they can take to protect the ocean.
FROM VISION TO REALITY
While CCMI has historically offered 50 - 80 scholarships for the Marine Ecology Course annually, the growth of this provision in 2026 is not just an expanded school programme. It represents a major investment in equitable access to marine education for Cayman’s students as well as the future of the country’s marine environment.
Led by the generosity of Dart, the Cayman community coming together to fund this effort enabled CCMI to remove financial barriers to ensure that an entire year group of Caymanian students can participate in such a valuable learning experience. Mark VanDevelde, executive director and chairman at Dart Enterprises, shares why Dart was eager to support this project:
“We are incredibly proud to support CCMI’s goal of giving every Year 6 government school student in the Cayman Islands the opportunity to experience and learn about our marine environment firsthand. By helping young people build a deeper understanding and appreciation of Cayman’s marine ecosystems, we hope to inspire a lifelong sense of responsibility for protecting the natural environment that makes our Islands so special.”
Offering more than 400 student scholarships a year doubles the education programming at the Little Cayman Research Centre and makes CCMI one of the largest grantors of student scholarships in the Cayman Islands. Committing to this goal as a sustained and long-term effort will develop early ocean literacy in students, which will eventually lead to tangible impact for the future of the island’s marine ecosystems.
“Thanks to our supporters who trust CCMI to put their donations to work in strategic and impactful ways, we are now moving from providing these transformative experiences to a small number of students each year to a whole year group,” added Ms Holden. “This changes what is possible for us as an organisation and, more importantly, changes ensures more equitable access to this experience. We are incredibly grateful to everyone in the community who invested in this programme. We are excited to deliver results and show the impact of their donations.”
A SHARED COMMITMENT TO CAYMAN’S STUDENTS
While CCMI has been delivering the Marine Ecology Course to students for 16 years, the volume of students attending this course was a new and unique challenge to navigate. During the last few months, CCMI worked closely with the Ministry of Education and Cayman Airways to coordinate the complex logistics of transporting and accommodate 20 classes of students and chaperones to Little Cayman for this experience in the fall, creating an operational blueprint to host entire year groups in the future should necessary funding be secured.
The Ministry of Education has been instrumental in coordinating participation with all government schools, ensuring every Year 6 class was scheduled for their Marine Ecology Course. This collaborative effort aligns with the Cayman Islands Government’s new mandate to ensure equitable, quality, modern, accessible, and cultural opportunities for students across the Cayman Islands. Cayman Airways worked with the team to ensure airlift to move students between Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman for their arrivals and departures for the programmes.
The awarding of so many scholarships also meant CCMI needed to secure necessary materials and supplies to deliver the programme at the highest level for the increased number of students, and several local entities stepped up with in-kind support. Divers Supply and their suppliers has donated more than a full classroom set of snorkel gear for students, with the backing of therir vendors. In addition, Cayman Prep Year 6 students donated the money earned in their enterprise project to futher provide necessary in-water safety equpment for students who attend programmes at CCMI. Walkers has supported additional education materials, including fish and coral identification books and slates, which will assist students in learning both in the classroom and in the field.
WHY IT MATTERS
For CCMI, the arrival of the first class in mid-September is so much more than just the start of another programme. It will mark the moment when a future goal shared with supporters of CCMI becomes a tangible experience for an entire cohort of Caymanian students. With ocean health increasingly threatened by pollution, climate change, and habitat loss, CCMI believes that youth engagement is critical to long-term conservation.
Ms. Holden shares, “Our donors believed our efforts were worth supporting last year, but what they didn’t realise is that they didn’t simply fund these scholarships. They gave us the opening to reach a generation of Caymanian students, helping them to discover the ocean and coral reefs, connecting with the marine environment in meaningful ways, seeing their role in protecting natural resources for the future. The impact of their investment will last far beyond 2026, and we hope we can continue this effort for many years to come.”
CCMI has provided educational scholarships for Caymanian students, from primary to college level, since first opening the Little Cayman Research Centre in 2005. The organisation believes it is imperative that all students have a good general understanding of why a healthy ocean is not only important to society, but important to them (and what they can do to support this for the future). CCMI is grateful to Festival of Seas 2025 attendees, Dart, CUC, the Boda Charitable Star Trust, KPMG, The Cayman Islands Ministry of Education, Cayman Airways, Divers Supply, Cayman Prep, Walkers, and individual supporters of CCMI for joining us in making our ambitious goal possible this year.
For more information about CCMI and the residential education programming at the Little Cayman Research Centre, please visit http://reefresearch.org.