CCMI succeeds in goal to support an entire year of public school students with free residential programme

At the Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s (CCMI) annual gala, Festival of Seas, CEO Kate Holden launched a key goal for the organisation: to support an entire year group of Caymanian primary school students to attend a three-day, two-night residential Marine Ecology Course (MEC) with CCMI free of charge, with flights included. That night, via the attendees of the Festival of Seas, some long-term CCMI sponsors, and a significant donation from Dart, the goal was met.

It has been proven that childhood experiences with the environment lead to pro environmental behaviour in adulthood. Spending time in nature is also understood to have positive impacts on mental health and happiness, especially for young people. Immersive learning environments outside of the classroom also offer a variety of ways of learning that many students find rewarding. CCMI has more than 10 years of proof from evaluating their education programmes that spending time with their researchers and educators at the field station on Little Cayman changes lives and increases ocean literacy.

CCMI’s announcement to scale up their contribution to primary school education ties in with the Cayman Islands Government’s new mandate to ensure equitable, quality, modern, accessible, and cultural opportunities within the education sector.

The Honourable Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister for Health, Environment and Sustainability, said: “CCMI set out with a clear and compelling goal: to share their environmental knowledge and inspire primary school students across the Cayman Islands through immersive and engaging marine experiences. I am delighted to see how quickly this vision has been brought to life.

“Enabling young people to step beyond the classroom and learn about Cayman’s marine biodiversity through real-world exploration, discovery and curiosity is a significant achievement – one that I wholeheartedly support. This experience will have a lasting impact on these students, many of whom were only able to participate thanks to the funding provided. It is entirely possible that this cohort includes our next generation of Caymanian conservationists and marine biologists.

“I commend Ms Holden and her team for their bold vision and strong commitment to fostering knowledge and appreciation of Caribbean marine life, and I look forward to continuing a close and productive partnership with CCMI.”

Dart has long been a supporter of CCMI, but the increased support for the MEC programme was a welcome surprise to the CCMI team, creating the momentum to achieve the goal to bring 400 students and their chaperones to Little Cayman in a single year.

Mark VanDevelde, Dart’s Chief Executive Officer, shared why this effort resonated with their organisation:

 “We agree with CCMI that every student in the Cayman Islands should have the opportunity to experience our marine environment, appreciate its beauty, and understand their role in protecting it. We are pleased to play our part in making this possible and encourage the community to support this effort, inspiring lifelong passions and careers in this vital field.”

Dart’s investment in the education of students through the MECs in 2026 has provided most of the funding to award more than 400 fully funded scholarships for this programme. Combined with the support of other CCMI donors and community partners, such as the BODA Charitable Star Trust, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, CUC, KPMG, and CG BritCay, CCMI expects to bridge any funding gap for the scholarships as well as invest in the critical equipment to run this programme for the increased number of students.

CCMI has provided educational scholarships for Caymanian students, from primary to college level, since first opening the Little Cayman Research Centre in 2005. As conditions facing the marine environment come under increased pressure from warming oceans, pollution and damaging extractive activities, such as over-fishing and deep sea mining, it is imperative that all students have an 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). The MEC scholarships will run in 2026 for Year 6 publics schools across the Cayman Islands.

For more information about CCMI and the residential education programming at the Little Cayman Research Centre, please visit http://reefresearch.org.