Every Singaporean A Naturalist Mentorship Programme
The Every Singaporean A Naturalist
(ESN) is a new initiative by the Nature Society (Singapore) [NSS] that aims to
provide school students and eventually the wider public a hands-on conservation
experience to deepen their appreciation and knowledge of nature.
With the successful engagement of 12
schools, we aim to increase the reach of the ESN programme to at least 30
schools by mid-2020. As our project continues to grow, we are looking for
passionate volunteers to assist us.
Join us as an NSS Nature Mentor to
inspire and nurture the next generation to become future ambassadors of our
natural environment and heritage. Training will be provided to equip Nature
Mentors with the knowledge and skills required.
Responsibilities
of NSS Nature Mentors:
For new
mentors,
· Mentor the students during
their bi-weekly or weekly 20-minute monitoring sessions. Help them master their
species identification over the weeks.
· Follow up with the
school’s monitoring and data uploading progress.
· Support the teachers in
their familiarisation with the usage of our resource package.
In addition,
for seasoned mentors with more than a year of experience,
· Conduct training on the
monitoring methodology and species identification for the students and teachers
when necessary.
· Conduct guided Nature
Walks in their school, nearby garden/park or nature reserve.
Requirements:
· Preferably an NSS member
· Has a keen interest in
nature conservation and education
· Enjoy working in the
outdoors and with young people (including children)
· Willingness to learn and
impart your knowledge and skills
· A team player as you will be
working with the ESN Project Officer, the school teachers and possibly the
other Nature Mentors
· Ability to commit to one
school for at least one semester (half a year)
o Available on at least one
weekday. This is because the schools usually conduct their bi-weekly or weekly
ESN activities during their CCA or school hours (on the same day of each week).
The duration of each visit may vary from 0.5 to 2 hours.
Brief
Schedule
|
Date
|
Activity
|
|
15 Dec 2018 (Saturday)
9 AM to 1 PM
NSS Office
|
Introduction & Training
(Mandatory)
·
Introduction
·
Monitoring Methodology
·
iNaturalist & Data Uploading
· Bird Species Identification* (Optional for Expert Birders)
|
|
Jan – May
2019
|
Attend additional training when
necessary. For example, species identification of the other taxonomic groups
monitored by the school.
|
|
Strongly encouraged to attend a few relevant NSS Nature
Walks to practice and master your species identification. Optional for
experts.
|
|
Visit the school on a bi-weekly or weekly basis for their
ESN activities which include training, monitoring and etc.
|
*The 35 Bird Species
that mentors will be taught to identify are:
1. Red Junglefowl
2. Sunda Woodpecker
3. Common Flameback /
Goldenback
4. Oriental Pied Hornbill
5. Collared Kingfisher
6. White-throated Kingfisher
7. Asian Glossy Starling
8. Asian Koel
9. House Crow
10. Common Myna
11. White-vented Myna (Javan
Myna)
12. Spotted Dove
13. Zebra Dove
14. Black-naped Oriole
15. Common Pigeon (Rock Dove)
16. Pink-necked Green-pigeon
17. Common Iora
18. Cockatoos
19. Oriental Magpie-robin
20. White-crested Laughingthrush
21. Parrots & Parakeets (New
World & African Parrots)
22. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
23. Blue-throated Bee-eater
24. Straw-headed Bulbul
25. Yellow-vented Bulbul
26. Common Tailorbird
27. Crimson Sunbird
28. Brown-throated Sunbird
(Plain-throated Sunbird)
29. Olive-backed Sunbird
30. Oriental White-eye
31. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
32. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
33. Paddyfield Pipit
34. Scaly-breasted Munia
35. White-breasted Waterhen
Keen to join us as an NSS Nature
Mentor? Sign up here
today!
For further enquiries, please feel
free to get in touch with us at esn@nss.org.sg.
To find out more about the ESN Programme, click here.