King’s College Doha, part of an alliance of schools in the Middle East, has launched an ambitious initiative called ‘Project Earthlings’, coinciding with Earth Day, a global celebration of our planet.

Project Earthlings will create the largest research-led, project-based learning and multi-disciplinary initiative conservation entity in the world, involving over 3,000 children across 5 schools.

Conservation and sustainability topics will be embedded into the school's British curriculum, alongside project research offering over 3,000 children the opportunity to learn about crucial environmental topics, play an active role in conservation research and shape the future of tomorrow.

The ambitious research initiative is led by Dr Melissa Duncan-Schiele, Head of Conservation and Research for King’s College Doha, Cheltenham and Downe House Muscat and King’s College and Downe House Riyadh. She said “This is a ‘World first’. It’s the only project of its kind offering this many children the opportunity to learn about and contribute to environmental awareness and research. By embedding these topics into the curriculum of our schools, children will have the opportunity to understand more about the impact humans have on our diverse habitats in the region.”

The launch included a range of exciting activities, including a live assembly involving children from all 5 schools in the Middle East with video links to King’s College, Downe House and Cheltenham UK schools.

King’s College Doha introduced Project Earthlings to their dedicated Pre-prep campus on the day of the launch, setting the children a range of exciting challenges, including the design and creation of dugongs and sea turtles from recycled material and the creation of a vertical garden with proven ecological benefits including enhanced energy efficiency and reduced urban heat.

Mr Mike Seaton, Principal of King’s College Doha said “For our youngest learners to be involved in Project Earthlings is a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about conservation and sustainability in the context of Qatar and the Middle East. It also provides opportunities for them to engage with pupils from King’s College UK. Embedding these topics into our curriculum and teaching the importance of conservation and sustainability, through tangible research will help shape the future.”

The Project Earthlings website was officially unveiled to children and parents during the launch – project-earthlings.com            Dr Duncan-Schiele commented “This is just the start of Project Earthlings. The project's digital presence will be enhanced to further engage children and parents, with gamification related to sustainability and conservation. It’s an incredibly exciting time and we are looking forward to welcoming more school children from across the world to take part in Project Earthlings.

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