On my way to NABS YES

Hi all

Next stop will be the NABS YES at Florida. NABS stands for National Association of Black Scuba Divers and YES is the Youth Education Summit.

I have enjoyed the different sites I have visited here in the US more than words can say (but if you have read my earlier blogs you should at least have some idea). Even so, I have been particularly excited about the chance to visit and take part in the Youth Summit since I first heard about the project earlier in the year.

I am looking forward to meeting Ken Stewart who has been making a short video clip about my adventures. Ken is the Programme Director (and co-founder) of the Tennessee Aquatic Project (TAP).

TAP is a program that helps at risk and inner city youth, aged 8 to 18 year, to connect to diving and the ocean. Even more importantly, TAP provides a complete approach to personal development and support system which I am told will help them change their lives for the better. The ocean is a great way to make this happen as it is a place that is both exciting but also still holds many mysteries and of course we are all connected by the ocean too!

To find out more about the TAP project, follow the link below

http://tennesseeaquaticproject.org/

Ken has been using my adventures to help teach his TAP students about the ocean. Ken and the students have been following my adventures when they meet each Saturday. My visit to the Youth Summit will mean that they will become part of my adventures as well.

I am really proud to have the chance to be involved in this very special project and can’t wait to meet everyone – including the kids who appear in the Ed the Bear video clip Ken has been working on.

Bye for now, Ed