Our organisation held its first Off-school Advanced Learning Programme with the support of the Gifted Education Foundation. The “Urban Ecology x GIS: Talent Education Programme for Gifted Students” (Programme number: 2020-08) recruited 32 Secondary 2 and 3 students to participate in a one-year programme. The course aimed to strengthen the understanding of ecology and biodiversity in gifted students and develop students’ research skills on urban ecology including vegetation, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Students will utilise Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to collect and represent ecological data for the purpose of environmental conservation. The programme has also put emphasis on influencing students with a positive attitude and values, for example, developing an initiative character in promoting sustainability, respecting all lives, appreciating the urban city, reinforcing civic responsibility etc.
The programme has concluded successfully in April 2022!
Students received training about Hong Kong ecology, biodiversity and Geographic Information Systems. Then, under the guidance of tertiary student tutors, expert ecologists and GIS tutors, grouped students conducted an investigation of the urban ecology of Hong Kong through the use of GIS for analysis and display. Their project findings were shared on StoryMap, which can be read on the websites below:
