CTC took part in the “Fête de la Science,” or Science Fair, an annual event held by the French Embassy Indonesia at Mertasari Beach, Sanur, Bali, by facilitating an engaging environmental game called “eco-memory.” This game was intended to increase knowledge and raise awareness of the threats of single-use plastics among local high school and university students in Bali.

Approximately 100 participants attended this fun outdoor event, held on January 25, 2023. They were eager to complete the game and win prizes that were provided by the French Embassy Indonesia, Alliance Française Bali, and The SeaCleaners. There were five environmental games that needed to be played by a group of ten people simultaneously in race mode. The SeaCleaners created all of the games to inspire young people to understand and care about the ocean. 

While playing the “eco-memory” game, the students were shown images of various environmental threats, such as single-use plastic bags and plastic food wraps, as well as their eco-friendly alternatives. They had to work together to match the pairing pictures and provide a brief explanation for why they thought the two pictures were a good match. The students also had to identify any environmental problems in their daily lives and name solutions for each issue. The discussion became lively as CTC facilitators also highlighted the threats that single-use plastics pose to marine ecosystems and animals.

“I enjoyed playing the games and was so inspired to start a small project to protect our environment, particularly the sea. I just realized that everything we do on land will eventually end up in the ocean,” said Widianti Pande, a local participant from Denpasar.

Stefany Claudia Hutapea, the Deputy Attaché for Science and Technology Cooperation at the French Embassy in Indonesia, highly appreciated CTC and other NGO partners in Bali for their support of the event. She emphasized the need for more public education and awareness-raising events like this in the future, in the hope that many younger generations will care for the oceans.

Text: Yoga Putra
Photo: Alliance Française Bali