Kralendijk, September 25th 2024 – Students from Strea Briante and Rayo di Solo elementary schools have recently taken an impressive initiative through their student council to improve the environment at their schools. In collaboration with their teachers, they wrote a letter to the director of water – en Energiebedrijf Bonaire (WEB), expressing their concerns about the increasing amount of debris and dust around the WEB building, where construction activities are currently taking place and causing inconvenience for the schools.
During a student council meeting, consisting of students from grades 5 to 8 from both Strea Briante and Rayo di Solo, they had an extensive discussion about the causes and consequences of this issue. The students, aged 10 to 12, showed great involvement and came up with potential solutions on their own.
With great enthusiasm, the students drafted a letter in which they clearly and respectfully expressed their concerns. They then decided to personally deliver the letter to the director of WEB. Mr. Silberie took the time to welcome the young delegation and listened attentively to their concerns. Impressed by the students’ initiative, he thanked them for their involvement and discussed possible solutions with the children.
“Children learn by doing. By involving them in local issues, we encourage critical thinking and collaboration for a better future,” said WEB Director Raymond ‘Roy’ Silberie.
Both WEB employees and project satff appreciated the initiative and immediately took concrete actions to improve the situation. They offered their apologies and committed to being more mindful to prevent further inconvenience.
This remarkable initiative demonstrates that even young children can play an important role in improving their environment. By directly reaching out to the responsible party and coming up with their own solutions, these students have shown that they are willing to take the future of Bonaire into their own hands. The students’ action serves as an example of how we can address problems and solutions on our island.
