Recently, the environmental educators’ community gathered in Cape Town for the 43rd Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) Conference. This celebration of innovation and collaboration in sustainability education took place from 16 – 19 September 2025 under the theme, “Celebrating and reflecting the successes in education for sustainable development: Building on success and shaping the future of Education for Sustainable Development”.
The conference was organised by the Western Cape Environmental Education Forum (WCEEF), a platform for all Western Cape EE practitioners. Our Adult Training Coordinator, Phindile Gazu, served on the local organising committee on behalf of Ocean Campus!
This year's EEASA brought together delegates from South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Mozambique, and more. The event provided a platform for sharing achievements, sparking new ideas, and shaping the future of environmental learning, which our Ocean Campus team was proud to be part of. Our participation included several thought-provoking presentations that highlighted our commitment to accessibility, creativity, and early environmental stewardship, as well as an exhibition stand that showcased our work.
Let’s take a closer look...
Inspiring young ocean guardians through puppetry
Wafiqah Daniels, Head of Early Childhood Development (ECD) at Ocean Campus, and Aisha Martin, ECD Teacher, presented “Inspiring environmental stewardship through puppet-powered learning in early childhood education.”
This playful, yet powerful, approach to environmental education uses original puppet shows to introduce ocean and conservation themes to young children. Delivered both at the Two Oceans Aquarium’s Children’s Play Centre and through a mobile puppet booth that travels to schools, the programme ensures that no child misses out on the chance to learn about caring for the natural world.
Each puppet show is designed to engage multiple learning styles – visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic – through storytelling, repetition, and participation. By blending entertainment with education, Wafiqah and Aisha demonstrated how environmental concepts can be made both memorable and meaningful for young learners.
“Our puppet shows are crafted to inspire environmental consciousness from an early age, empowering children to make informed, responsible choices in their daily lives,” said Aisha. “By weaving crucial conservation messages into compelling stories, we aim to nurture a generation of ocean guardians committed to protecting our planet”.
The ECD team also co-hosted a workshop titled “Edutaining storytelling through storytelling – an experiential visual methodology” in collaboration with Nature Connect, Rand Water, Wits University, and Tshwane University of Technology.
“This was the first time our ECD team took part in a conference like this,” said Wafiqah. “We were excited to showcase the incredible work we do, connect with like-minded educators, and learn from others who share our passion for teaching the next generation of ocean stewards.”
Making the ocean accessible to all
Bianca Engel, Deputy Head of Ocean Campus, presented “Translating the ocean: Creating inclusive, multi-sensory Aquarium experiences for visitors with visual impairments.”
Her case study explored how the Two Oceans Aquarium’s education team, in collaboration with partners such as St Dunstan’s and Innovations for the Blind, developed an immersive, multi-sensory experience that translated the visual wonder of the ocean into touch, sound, and descriptive interpretation.
The planning process was highly consultative, involving direct input from members of the visually impaired community and accessibility professionals. This ensured that the experience was thoughtfully designed to address real barriers and expand participation in environmental learning.
From tactile elements to guided interactions, the pilot programme demonstrated how marine education can become more inclusive, allowing visually impaired visitors to connect meaningfully with marine life. The success of this initiative led to a follow-up event in October, along with ongoing improvements to accessibility and wayfinding across the Aquarium.
“Inclusive design has the power to transform environmental education,” Bianca explained. “When we make learning experiences accessible to all, we don’t just remove barriers – we build empathy, awareness, and a deeper connection to the natural world.”
Teacher Wandiswa Jonga and School Group Coordinator Koelsum Peterson also presented a poster highlighting key learnings from the Ocean Funatics course for Grades 2 to 3.
Excursions formed a part of the EEASA conference
"We were delighted to welcome 60 EEASA delegates to the Two Oceans Aquarium, where they had the opportunity to experience first-hand the unique educational offerings of both the Aquarium and the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation," says Phindile.
Through guided experiences, meaningful conversations, a glimpse into our Marine Wildlife Management Programme, and a tour of our mobile classrooms, delegates were able to connect the subject material at the conference with the practical experience of witnessing the impact of our work in action.
"We are proud to have shared our ocean story with them and look forward to building on these connections for future collaboration," says Phindile.
Sharing, learning, and leading
Participation in EEASA 2025 highlighted the Aquarium’s belief that education is one of the most powerful tools for change. By sharing our team’s experiences, from puppet-powered learning to inclusive design, we helped inspire others to reimagine what environmental education can look like: Inclusive, joyful, and transformative.
Through the Ocean Campus, the Two Oceans Aquarium continues to empower learners of all ages to explore, understand, and protect our ocean. From early childhood programmes to teacher training and community outreach, our education team remains dedicated to nurturing a wave of environmental champions who will help shape a more sustainable future.
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