Leith Academy

Operation Wallacea is a charity that supports scientific research work in eight countries around the world. Their aim is to catalogue the animals and plants of each threatened environment in order to be able to help the local community eventually manage their unique resource in a sustainable way that provides economic support for preserving the habitat. You can find out about the work of Operation Wallacea from their website at www.opwall.com.

The original OWL team

Working together with Operation Wallacea, Leith Academy intends to raise the aspirations of our pupils with the exciting expedition to Honduras in June 2010. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these keen young people to experience an environment very different from home. They will be working with academics from Universities around the world to collect data and improve our knowledge of threatened habitats and species. Individually they will improve their science skills and knowledge but together they will develop their team-working skills as they raise funds for the expedition. Helping the academics carry out their research will extend their communication and confidence to work in unusual situations. Experiencing the culture of a tropical, developing country with different languages and cultures will broaden horizons for all our travellers. This two week expedition will make a significant impact on their maturity and personal development, providing for a range of skills to enhance their future employability.

In 2009, the Year of Homecoming, Scotland again reasserted its historic status. Using the Declaration of Arbroath as our inspiration, we have asked many prominent Scots to help create an artwork that celebrates our national identity. Each individually signed flag has been sewn together with those from sport, entertainment, the Arts, education, politics and heritage.

A third of the flags so far!

The final artwork is called “A Declaration of Scots” and will be first exhibited in school and eventually sold to raise funds for our Expedition to Honduras 2010.

Getting support from MSP Margo MacDonald

We would like to thank the 100 and more signatories listed on the next page who contributed to this project, especially those who gave a financial donation to boost our funds.