Education Program

The goal of CAVU’s education program is to engage the widest possible audience. The program is unique because the audiences are not only spectators; they are also important participants.


The creation of an interactive website, CAVUmedia.org, is the cornerstone of CAVU’s Education Program, where flight, film and today’s technology are combined to generate new perspectives on natural resource management. CAVUmedia.org will house CAVU’s films, an aerial photographic database accessible to researchers and partner organizations, educational toolkits, hosted online forums and a managed blog. Ever expanding and evolving, CAVU’s Education Program adheres to the theory of “closing the circle.” Information, motivation and knowledge come full circle when all participants exercise their voice, and CAVUmedia.org is where voices can be heard.

CAVUMEDIA.ORG
CAVUmedia.org is poised to be the premier online hub for sustainable conservation action throughout the Americas. There are four components:

  • Media Tools – the site will house all CAVU films and invite partners to submit their media tools to share with a broader audience. While the distribution of CAVU films on DVD has been successful and effective in rural Central America, the move to online access will expand CAVU’s educational reach. CAVU’s emotionally resonant, professionally filmed outreach projects will now have infinite opportunities to be used as tools for educating and engaging diverse stakeholders worldwide. For example, films about watershed issues can be shared with communities concerned with similar problems anywhere, free of cost and in an instant.
  • Educator’s Corner – this area will assist teachers and facilitators in the use of CAVU’s media tools. It will be created with the needs of all in mind: primary and secondary classrooms, board meetings and community workshops, rural locations and international universities. Diverse communities employ different styles of teaching and learning. Fully functional in Spanish and English, educational toolkits will be designed to meet specific teaching requirements.
  • Aerial Database - this mapping and photographic database will be accessible by our conservation partners and researchers. The power of flight and its resultant information will provide a way to measure program successes and potential threats in key conservation regions, as well as monitor changes in landscapes over time through GPS aerial photography.
  • Online Forums – the site will also host open and scheduled forums on various topics, sharing lessons learned and new methodologies for dealing with complex environmental issues. Some forums will be ongoing while others will be moderated by premier scientists and conservationists of our time.

OUR NEEDS
To build this exciting program, CAVU is seeking financial support from individuals and foundations dedicated to conservation education. Site management plans and toolkit construction for 2009 are underway. Interested in becoming a donor and joining CAVU’s commitment to education? Contact Jordan Vaughan Smith at jordan@cavusite.org for more information and financial details on the Education Program.