Hello, my name is Glen Groizard and I have worked at The Deep for 19 years. Over the years, I have been involved in lots of different projects, helping to improve and advance the informal education offering at The Deep.
In 2019 I became involved in the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (or BIAZA for short) Conservation Education Committee (CEC). Now BIAZA is the professional body which represents best zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland. With more than 100 member zoo’s, aquariums and sanctuaries who work together and support each other in their commitment to be at the forefront of conservation, education and research. You can find out more about BIAZA and its members here https://biaza.org.uk/.
So what’s my role in the CEC? In 2019 I took on the role Regional coordinator for the North of England or king of the north, as I like to refer to myself. No one else does….
Basically my role is to help both the formal and informal education teams from zoos and aquariums in the North of England share ideas, best practices, carry out evaluations and find new and innovative ways to interpret, explore and collaborate, and…that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
This was the first regional meeting held since October 2020 due to the pandemic. This regional meeting followed on from a successful BIAZA Digital conservation education committee conference which was held in November and involved 80 different collections from around England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
In the regional meeting representatives from the North of England including from The Welsh Mountain Zoo, Chester Zoo, Flamingo Land, Knowsley Safari Park and Yorkshire Wildlife Park. A popular topic for discussion was COP26 and how we can take advantage of the publicity and push forward key messages which will engage families and schools including how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
It was amazing to see how many collections have adapted and grown through digital learning and how they faced new challenges when it came to encouraging schools back into the attractions. How people have thrived through social media, through zoom, Facebook lives and YouTube. Keeping conservation and education alive throughout lockdown.
BIAZA members have noted that children have found the adjustment of being in the classroom again difficult, missing the formal school setting for such a long time and we are seeing this when they visit. The Deep have seen their first anxiety support dog in attendance on a school visit and discussed how nature and animals have health benefit including helping reduce stress and anxiety.
The committee looked at the benefits of education teams working in other departments and taking part in animal feeding and observations and assisting keepers and how this has increased their knowledge and provided them with anecdotal information to use during education sessions.