mywaterstory
- 1. In 2008, I was a distance learning facilitator for the Kenosha Unified School District, Kenosha Wisconsin. I received a call from two water professionals with the Kenosha Water Utility. John Andersen and Sandy Masterson shared their plans to travel with the group Wisconsin Water for the World to the highlands of Guatemala. The project consisted of constructing a water distribution system to service 100 families. They wanted to meet and brainstorm a way to share their experiences with students in the district. Meeting number one- location: my office. I cleared the conference table and provided bottled water for each of us, a routine gesture, no real thought behind it. As we greeted and introduced ourselves, a lighthearted comment was made by one of them about NEVER serving bottled water to utility professionals. I’ll not name HIS name here but since that day, HE and I have become dear friends AND business partners ;-) That was the LAST time I purchased bottled water and a water advocate was born. Our conversations turned in to the launch of a pilot program with 4th grade classrooms in our district. While John and Sandy were in the village of El Adelanto (March 2009), we scheduled 11 SKYPE connections focusing on water sources, aligned with science curriculum. We called the project, “Adventure Kids Learning” (AKL). Our goal was to educate and provide insight, via interactive video, of the tanks under construction, distribution system and project in whole. 30 seconds of the first video connection, I vehemently declared that NEXT year, “I will not be stateside facilitating, I will be WITH YOU” I’ve been on the trip almost every year since. I wasn’t born a “water advocate”. I’ve lived my life on Lake Michigan’s shoreline and taken every drop that flowed through pipes to my home and my community for granted. This precious resource gifts us a fortunate lifestyle such as incredible beaches, sprinklers to run through in the summer, and “cooler near the lake” forecasts on hot summer nights.
- 2. AKL’s inaugural year taught US many lessons. While U.S. and Guatemalan students were interested in learning about water sources and the science of water, they also wanted desperately to learn about each other: o How do you spend your day? o What’s your favorite subject in school? o What will you do with the time saved from your chore of getting water? o How are you different? o How are you LIKE me? Countries and cultures away, WATER brought them together. Since 2009, AKL has hosted hundreds of connections to thousands of students’. Every connection is different and every connection fosters global citizenship, as well as deeper understanding of the global water crisis. When a 12 year old girl hears how women in the village spend 4-6 hours a day getting water for their families, or that 25% of their Guatemalan counterparts miss school every day due to waterborne illness, they are one step closer to realizing how water impacts their own lives and how they may take it for granted. In 2015, AKL became an official non-profit organization, providing FREE collaboration and awareness opportunities regarding the global water crisis to classrooms worldwide and continues to grow: o AKL is part of an interdisciplinary curriculum module, focusing on how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields can help address the lack of potable water throughout the world authored by The Center For Developing Excellence. o Offering water-tasting events in schools (tap vs. bottle), sharing our stories of travels and of the people we meet. We emphasize the importance of water in their community AND the world. o AKL virtual expeditions are an officially recognized event of the United Nation’s World Water Day. We’re seeking to expand our connections from anywhere there is an active water project (point of use filters, drill, tanks, etc.) to the global community. It is our mission to provide water education programs FREE to schools and we continue to connect classrooms from Central America every March, most often around United Nations World Water Day, March 22nd . Contact us to learn how a school or charitable organization in YOUR community can participate! For more information: joan.roehre@gmail.com Adventure Kids Learning - Facebook