Sporty science students head to Tonga
05 July 2011
Two second-year UC science students fly out today for a fortnight in Tonga where they will educate Tongan high school students about sustainable energy options and hold sports workshops.
Two second-year UC science students fly out today for a fortnight in Tonga where they will educate Tongan high school students about sustainable energy options and hold sports workshops.
BSc double majors Melissa Seymour (biological sciences and maths) and Tom Swan (ecology/natural resources) are undertaking the trip under the umbrella of EcoCARE Pacific Trust, a charitable trust set up by UC alumni to address health, education and environmental issues in the Pacific region.
Tom said during the pair’s stay in Tonga they will be “teaching people about the importance, relevance and prevalence of natural resources and the potential to use them for sustenance and growth mechanisms”.
Their programme also has a big sporting component to it, with Tom an avid sportsman with a particular interest and talent for soccer and long-distance running, and Melissa currently ranked third in New Zealand for women’s discus and fourth for shot-put.
Melissa plans to set up an athletics training school, basing the training around discus and shot-put.
“I hope to keep the programme running when I return to New Zealand by keeping in contact with the high school and hopefully in the long-term get a few throwers over to New Zealand to throw in the national championships here,” she said.
Melissa said she would also work with EcoCARE Pacific Trust Science Project Manager Russell Taylor (Biological Sciences) to seek donations of related resources to send to Tonga to “maximise throwers’ opportunities over there”.
Melissa said she was excited by the opportunity to get involved in the community outreach programme with our Pacific neighbour.
“I have always loved helping people and getting out in the community and making a difference, so when this opportunity came up I was so excited to help and really want to learn some new skills. This trip will help me grow as a person and a leader, and learn about a new culture, all while I am helping the community in Tonga, which is awesome.”
Tom said he got involved “through a desire to educate and inform people about the prevalence and abundance of natural resources and alternative, more sustainable energy options”.
“Within Tonga, great expenditure is spent every year on importation of goods, services and resources when many of these resources are already prevalent within the country.”
For more information please contact:
Maria De Cort
Communications Officer
Communications & External Relations
Mobile: +64 27 299 0741
maria.decort@canterbury.ac.nz
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