IUCN PAPACO ambassador meetings in Bénin help mainstream MOOCs on conservation

In 2019, IUCN PAPACO launched an ambassador programme, where pro-active MOOC students were selected to represent and assist students from their own cities and countries. The vision behind that was to create local hubs where MOOC but also protected area professionals or enthusiasts could connect and share. Since then, the programme has grown: from 5 initial ambassadors to 33 across Africa and Haiti today.

Kevin Kassouwin is the ambassador for Bénin, and has been part of the team from the start. This past month, he ran a series of events across his country, one of them being at the Lycée agricole Médji de Sékou. Students gathered to hear more about the MOOCs and the opportunities they can offer. After that, they all received an initiation to some of the tools mentioned in the MOOC on New Technologies (drones, camera-traps, GPS etc.). During another meeting at a local university, professors have decided to use MOOC content as materials for their classes, and validated MOOCs to count for university credits. 

This is just one of the many events that took place over the past weeks (and months). Since its trial in 2019, the ambassador programme has not only created local hubs, but also networks of professionals who are active in the field. Just like Kevin, our ambassador Mamadou in Côte d’Ivoire has selected representatives in major cities, and works to ensure that MOOC network remains active in the country. 

Registrations for the MOOCs are still open:

Enrol now at mooc-conservation.org