Aims of the Project
To raise awareness among students around the world of the threatened extinction of the Great Apes in Africa and Asia and to encourage initiation of actions to save the great apes from extinction. This will be approached through developing a collaborative online project for teachers and students. The project will be open to all schools and will draw participants from countries around the world including Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia and Malaysia through the iEARN online network.

Project Description
An online collaborative project for children of the world to discuss issues and raise awareness of the plight of the great apes through online activities, research projects, action projects and creative exchanges of art and other materials between participating schools. Student work will be published on the project website and published in hard copy. All participants will contribute to an electronic montage, a copy of which will be displayed in all participating countries as a celebration of participation.

Components of the Project
Regular online activities including research activities and competitions. It is planned to have a monthly activity/competition for students involved in the project. This could take the form of a competition, a research activity, quizzes and other activities. There will be the opportunity for teachers and students involved in the project to suggest suitable activities.

Research component
Students will research the situation of the great apes and share their findings with other students around the world. This work will be published on the web site and in a hard copy magazine. The Ape Alliance website is a great place to start your research.

Writing exchange
Students will contribute writing (stories and poems) about the great apes. These will be published on the web site and in a hard copy magazine.

Art exchange
Students will contribute artwork depicting things such as the great apes, their habitat and their situation. This will be published on the web site and in a hard copy magazine.

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World Action Project
There will be a World Action Project where the participants around the world decide on an action they can collectively take to help the situation of the great apes. An example could be fund-raising activities that will highlight the situation of the great apes and raise money to support a particular project.

Kids' Voices
Students in the project will prepare articles to be part of a submission to the United Nations and other relevant government authorities and action groups.

Campaigns
Project participants will take part in campaigns organized by other groups, such as the Post Card Campaign of The Ape Alliance - and the United Nations Environmental Program and the Great Apes Survival Project (GrASP).

Great Ape Montage
An electronic montage will be compiled with contributions from all participating schools. This will be distributed to all participating schools and local exhibitions of the electronic montage will take place, supported by physical displays created by the local students. It is planned that this electronic montage would be displayed in a prominent public place in each country.

Publications
The project facilitators intend to publish a magazine of student work if sufficient funds are available.

For more information contact: Muriel Wells or Virginia King.

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