Youth Dive into Coral Conservation at BREEF’s 2025 Extreme Hangout Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Under the theme, “Coral Connections: Science, Climate, Solutions & Sustainability” the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) successfully held  2-day Extreme Hangout Bahamas event.

This the second annual youth climate action summit held on April 3–4, brought together 50 students from ten schools from New Providence, Eleuthera, and Abaco for a powerful experience focused on coral reef protection, climate resilience, and sustainable solutions for The Bahamas’ marine environment.

The first day was held at Goodman’s Bay beach, where students rotated through engaging, hands-on activities such as conch anatomy using live specimens, snorkeling and fish identification, sustainable art projects, and interactive games centered around marine conservation. Students learned about water safety and the critical role coral reefs play in sustaining life in The Bahamas.

Minister of Education The Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin, and Director of Education Dominique McCartney-Russell, joined the students at Goodman’s Bay, showing their strong support for environmental education and youth empowerment.

During her remarks at the event, Minister of Education and Technical & Vocational Training, Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin explained that the BREEF project was an excellent initiative that provided students with hands-on learning experiences saying, “They (students) are gaining a firsthand insight into the issues that impact our marine environment and protection, conservation and sustainability”

Director of Education, Dominique McCartney Russell also gave remarks. “When I look at the work BREEF is doing in terms of students being introduced to the preservation of coral reefs, this program is so important. One of the goals for the Ministry of Education is to develop this 21st century Bahamian graduate and one of the aspects of that is that our students become environmental stewards.” She continued, “We all have different learning styles, and the best model for ensuring that all of the styles are catered to so it’s important for us to participate in this.”

The second day was a more formal indoor workshop at the New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road. Participants dove deeper into issues like coral bleaching, sea level rise, oil drilling and food security through interactive panel discussions and youth-led debates. Students were also given the opportunity to share their views about oil drilling in The Bahamas and participated in a polling exercise coordinated by Waterkeepers Bahamas/BREEF/Our Islands Our Future.

Featured speakers included Samantha Ramirez, Bahamas Sustainable Development Goals Youth Ambassador in the Office of the Prime Minister; Sub-Lieutenant Wellington Ramsey, Royal Bahamas Defence Force; Farah Flowers, BREEF Bahamas Environment Steward Scholar ; Rashema Ingraham, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Tanique Evans, Head Girl at Akhepran International Academy. The session was moderated by Steffon Evans, Deputy Executive Director of the Organisation for Responsible Governance. Panelists dove into discussions with students about the importance of conservation and sustainable development, encouraging them to explore careers in the blue economy.

Throughout the day, students voiced their perspectives on issues like climate change, oil drilling and sustainable practices. In smaller groups, they also discussed how these issues are impacting their communities and proposed innovative solutions to protect their future.

11-year-old Kaelyn Mackey from Harbour Island Green School said, “I enjoyed snorkeling and learning about conch and sustainable fishing practices. I would like more students to have the experience I had at this Extreme Hangout.”

15-year-old Le-Andre Playdle from Patrick J. Bethel High School in Abaco said, “I enjoyed this event from the start. I enjoyed snorkeling the most because it also made me more comfortable in the water and I liked learning about the Queen Conch too.”

Seventeen-year-old Haile Foreste from Akhepran International Academy said, “I loved it! I’d give it a 10 out of 10. It was a wonderful experience because we were able to express ourselves and connect with the sea on a different level and for many of us it was our first time.”

During the event, Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, Executive Director of BREEF, stressed the importance of giving students opportunities in BREEF workshops to help them sharpen their leadership skills and environmental knowledge and prepare for careers.

“Our whole country is a marine nation so for young people it’s absolutely essential that they get a chance to experience the ocean up close and personal and get a chance to learn about the threats and be part of the solutions that are needed for our oceans’ future.” 

Also in attendance was Amber Nuttall, Founder of Extreme Hangout and Co-Chair of BREEF, who encouraged students to connect global climate challenges with local action and leadership. 

This year’s Extreme Hangout reinforced the importance of educating and empowering Bahamian youth to become ocean stewards and sustainability advocates.

BREEF is grateful to The Moore Bahamas Foundation, Primat Foundation, The Sean Connery Foundation, Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, and Builders Initiative for their support of the Extreme Hangout Bahamas event.

To learn more about BREEF’s upcoming events, programmes and tools for teachers and students follow BREEF on social media at BREEF242.