Spring is definitely in the air and our community is buzzing with ideas. Themes are emerging and one of them is ‘Coastal Connections’.
Closeness to the sea is one of the many special qualities of our location but how much do we really know and understand about the marine environments?
We are fortunate to have a veritable shoal of marine biologists and experts across a range of disciplines on our doorstep to help us explore and investigate our shorelines.
We plan to initiate a community-wide engagement programme that taps into all the incredible groups and activities that are already of offer in Dunbar and we hope to use the ‘Coastal Connections’ platform to organise collaborative events and show case the organisations that people can get involved with right now to connect with the local marine environment.
The aim of this programme is to harness and develop a deeper connection with our seas whilst increasing community awareness of the pressures they face, facilitate positive behavioural change and build resilience through community connections.
To achieve this aim we will develop a series of events and activities across Dunbar over the coming year and beyond.
This project will have a strong element of experiential learning. The conversations will be led by people with direct experience and knowledge of this environment and acknowledged qualifications e.g. marine biologist, countryside ranger, teacher….
Another strand of activity is about creative expression and through a series of workshops we will create work to form an exhibition – ‘Shore Lines and Tide Marks’, for the John Muir Birthplace in August and September.
The art workshops will be lead by trained artists with extensive experience of community settings. Participants will discover many facts about the marine environment through hands on exploration with experts. Discussion, observation, thinking, writing and drawing are all part of our process. The products and outcomes of these activities will be integral to the ‘Shore Lines and Tide Marks’ exhibition which is also another layer of educational activity.
The programme is open to and will encourage participation by people of all ages and will be widely publicised in the community. Those involved in leading activities all have active community networks and this will also enable us to extend our range of contacts to ensure broad involvement.
The Coastal Connections programme will launch in early May with the first of our conversations involving a range of people who will share their experiences and knowledge of the local coastal environments. Details to be confirmed shortly.