Gill’s Club: World Ocean Day

Our partners at Galapagos Conservation Trust have been supporting impactful conservation programmes across the Archipelago for over 25 years now. Partnering with Ecuadorian authorities, leading scientists, NGO’s (non-governmental organisations) and local communities, GCT has made conservation of the islands at a grassroots level a main pillar of its ethos for generations.

With that in mind, Researcher for Galapagos Whale Shark Project and the Galapagos Science Center (USFQ), Sofia Green is leading the Santa Cruz chapter of the Chicas Con Agallas – also known as the Gill’s Club. Sofia’s goal is for young girls in the Santa Cruz Island community to get involved with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities where the girls will head out on field expeditions.

The Gill’s Club will offer a host of educational activities designed to help girls who live on the island to grow up with the skills and knowledge to be a part of the conservation effort with GCT. They’ll learn to identify fish by snorkeling, brush up on biology skills with microscopes in a laboratory setting, and learn how to lead their own investigation projects for ocean conservation.

Sofia spoke on her main focuses for the girls of the Gill’s Club, saying: “we’re doing [the Gill’s Club] to lessen the gender gap that still exists between men and women in fields of STEM.

We’re taking these girls from a very young age and empowering them to understand what they can be a part of, in these fields, when they grow older.”

Craghoppers is proud to be supporting The Gill’s Club this year with a donation and kit to help the club on their journey in protecting marine life in the Galapagos Islands.

You can learn more about our partnerships via our [partnerships page](https://www.craghoppers.com/our-partners/) on our website.