#SHIPPING – The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) has announced the 2012 Schools essay competition for the www.followthefleet.ie educational programme.
The IMDO reintroduced the Follow the Fleet education programme to Irish schools and classrooms in 2006 as an online teaching resource that brings the world of maritime trade and adventure alive for school children between the ages of 7 to 12. Since its launch in 2006, Follow the Fleet has recruited over 800 national schools with an estimated outreach to 28,000 primary school children registered to take part in the education programme.
This year the annual schools competition is sponsored by Irish Ferries and is also supported by Ardmore Shipping, BMCI Insurance & Investments and the Port of Cork. The competition will be centred around three key themes, maritime technology, trade, and heritage, all of which are interlinked with the lessons and Captain's logs published on the website.
Speaking of their involvement with the annual competition, Irish Ferries commented : 'Follow the Fleet' is a concept that has echoes of earlier days when school children would trace the routes followed by the great Irish merchant vessels of yesteryear as they ploughed the oceans carrying bulk cargoes that would service the needs of communities around the world. As Ireland's premier passenger and freight ferry company, Irish Ferries is proud to see that concept revived and to sponsor the Follow the Fleet Competition, thereby helping to foster in our young people a wider understanding of the shipping industry and its contribution to tourism, employment and the economy".
The 2012 Follow the Fleet Competition is offering some amazing prizes for the winning entries which will be judged by a panel headed by noted maritime journalist and Afloat associate editor Tom McSweeney. Some of the prizes include a trip to the National Maritime College in Cork for the winning class where they will be able to command their own ship at sea in the world class ship simulators. The Overall School Winner Category will also win a laptop for their teacher and the category winners will see their essay scripted into a short animated film, voiced by actor Aidan Dooley of 'Tom Crean –Antarctic Explorer' fame.
The competition is open to all primary school classes registered on the www.followthefleet.ie programme, the deadline for the competition is the 5th of April 2012. All details of the competition and entry forms are available on-line on http://www.imdo.ie/followthefleet/news.asp
For more details contact [email protected] or call the IMDO on 01 476 6500 for more information on joining the Follow the Fleet programme.
