There were several activities that provided the internees to learn many things about sawfish conservation. We conducted a sawfish science class as an initiating discussion platform to deeply understand the biological and ecological of sawfish. Then we taught them a little bit about social science which will be applied in our research. The most intriguing one, at least for them, was focus group discussions to practice creating their own conservation project. We also had practical sessions in this program to upgrade their technical skills in using QGIS for mapping tools in marine conservation. Aside from learning a more thematic subject, the internees also had the opportunity to improve their leadership skills through the Youth Coastal Leadership Bootcamp event and collaborated with other local youth, particularly from the best five local senior high schools in Merauke who were considered passionate about marine conservation effort. Our commitment to educating the youth was also continuous by assisting them to complete their undergraduate final assignments.
We hope this local youth empowerment is a starting point to prepare the next leaders in conservation. We believe that there is no point in accomplishing the conservation project outcomes well when you are not considering local involvement in your objectives as this kind of project would likely not be sustainable enough to ensure the vision of the project itself.