With the 2026 academic year ending, Goumbook proudly celebrates the completion of Year 2 of the Empowering Ocean Stewards project – a project that engages students in ocean literacy through citizen science research, data collection and field sampling in the UAE’s coastlines.
This project once again uses the COLLECT methodology by POGO which teaches students how to examine microplastics through a systematic procedure. Unlike last year, the program welcomed a new partner school: Al Ma’arifa International School, where 31 Grade 10-11 students contributed.Across January and February 2026, participants visited Al Hamriyah Beach in Sharjah to collect plastic samples from both the shoreline and water. The students applied the standardized field sampling protocol to gather sediment and seawater samples, utilizing tools such as multi-parameter probes for heavy metal detection.
In collaboration with our research partners at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), they analyzed the samples collected during the field sampling sessions and produced valuable data using density separation and FTIR that allowed us to form a more comprehensive understanding regarding the state of plastic pollution in marine and coastal environments in the UAE
Through this hands-on experience, students deepened their understanding of marine ecosystems and the real-world consequences to our activities. The pre- and post project surveys revealed that students left the experience with a greater awareness of plastic pollution and a stronger feeling of environmental responsibility.
During the project, students began designing their own plastic reduction campaigns for implementation within their schools. Several groups produced short videos to pitch their campaign ideas, demonstrating creativity and a strong commitment to marine conservation.
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A key focus of the programme was to move beyond awareness by supporting students to develop campaigns that could become embedded within their school community, fostering sustained engagement and lasting behavioural change.
The data from the surveys and scientific analysis will also be compiled to advise global ocean litter databases, such as Ocean Conservancy’s TIDES database. This will further build on the information gained by this project’s pilot year while benefiting broader monitoring efforts and advocacy for marine conservation.
We are deeply grateful for the continued support from the Atlantis Atlas Project for funding another year of this impactful citizen science project. We also thank our partners at AUS and Al Ma’arifa International School for their collaboration, as well as receiving advisory support from POGO and VLIZ for another year.
As Empowering Ocean Stewards heads into its next chapter, Goumbook is still committed to providing the youth opportunities and knowledge to safeguard UAE’s coastlines and marine ecosystems.
