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PLEASE NOTE THAT UPDATES OF THIS WEBPAGE ARE UNDERWAY DECEMBER 2025 TO FEBRUARY 2026.
PLEASE NOTE THAT UPDATES OF THIS WEBPAGE ARE UNDERWAY DECEMBER 2025 TO FEBRUARY 2026.
We are trying to make your visit easier -- see the panel at the bottom of this page.
We are trying to make your visit easier -- see the panel at the bottom of this page.
Welcome
Welcome
UPDATES:
UPDATES:
The 2025 TOTCUS Symposium was hosted on November 28 (NZT) (21 presentations representing 125 participants) and earlier on Nov. 25th. (10 presentations representing 88 participants)
The 2025 TOTCUS Symposium was hosted on November 28 (NZT) (21 presentations representing 125 participants) and earlier on Nov. 25th. (10 presentations representing 88 participants)
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Suggested dates for the 2026 Symposiums are
(NOTE NZSTime)
May 12 - 7:30 am to 10:00 am - for May 11 in Americas and Eastern Pacific
May 12 - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for May 12 in Africa, Europe, South and East Asia
December 1 - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for Dece 1 in Africa, Europe, South and East Asia
December 4 - 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for May 11 in Americas and Eastern Pacific
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Certificates recognising the student's participation in TOTCUS during 2025 are being distributed via your school's TOTCUS teacher.
Certificates recognising the student's participation in TOTCUS during 2025 are being distributed via your school's TOTCUS teacher.
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Summer break in the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand and Chilean students return to school in February 2026.
Summer break in the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand and Chilean students return to school in February 2026.
TOTCUS activiuties will start up from mid-February.
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NEW LOK IN 2026:
More schools
More groups
More topics
More Symposium Yes, we are planning to host the Symposiums in May and November. *SEE SUGGESTED DATES ABOVE. The rationale behind this decision is recognition that many of the older students are either graduating or moving on to new schools after the Northern summer.. To allow those students to have the opportunity to share their work, we shall have a mid and end of year Symposium -- more sharingi.
Posters Presentations. It has also been suggested that instead of traditional slide shows, groups can develop and share a poster.. The idea behind this decision is that as TOTCUS projects are 'maturing' and have more of an action/research focus, students can be encouraged to share their posters at professional /community meetings.. (A well designed poster, can in fact be made up of four or five slide panels..
TOTCUS Science -- more meet ups with the experts. are planned.
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Schools interested in joining one of both TOTCUS Symposia should contact us at the email address below.
Connecting all reaches of our Planet, our Oceans provide the vital balance that sustains life. The Pacific Ocean, the largest body of water on the Planet separates yet connects the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere to covers and provides our human environment.
The OCEAN CONNECT US commenced as a collaboration between Liceo Juan Bautista Contardi in Chile and Rosmini College, New Zealand in 2022/23
Initially Rosmini and Punta Arenas students. the Dream is to extend to similar cohorts of students from other Pacific countries.
Supported by experienced teachers
Resourced by researchers/universities and government agencies.
Recognised by the LA-CAPE / Centre for Asia and Pacific Excellence
This project provided an opportunity for Chilean students living in New Zealand (and New Zealand students living in Chile) – Chiwis to maintain a connection to their home country, language and culture. The project enables students and their communities to engage in a project that could have positive environmental outcomes as well as promote global competencies and a better understanding of the similarities and contrast of culture, history, language and the physical and social geography of these two South Pacific nations. TOTCUS has become a multi-year project.
OCEAN CONNECT US comenzó comoes una colaboración entre el Liceo Juan Bautista Contardi en Punta Arenas, Chile y Rosmini College, en Auckland, Nueva Zelanda.
Inicialmente estudiantes de Rosmini y Contardi. El Sueño es extenderse a cohortes similares de estudiantes de otros países del Pacífico.
Apoyado por profesores experimentados.
Con recursos de investigadores/universidades y agencias gubernamentales.
Reconocido por LA-CAPE / Center for Asia and Pacific Excellence
Este proyecto también brindará una oportunidad para que los estudiantes chilenos que viven en Nueva Zelanda (y los estudiantes de Nueva Zelanda que viven en Chile) – Chiwis mantengan una conexión con su país de origen, idioma y cultura
El proyecto presenta una oportunidad para que los estudiantes y sus comunidades participen en un proyecto que podría tener resultados ambientales positivos, así como promover competencias globales y una mejor comprensión de las similitudes y contrastes de la cultura, la historia, el idioma y la geografía física y social de estas dos naciones del Pacífico Sur. Este será un proyecto de varios años.
NOTICE: This website is in a constant state of update. New materials are being added almost daily. Some links may not be operational at times, and some sections may be in a state of chaos. Bear with us.
Suggestion on how to improve the site will always be appreciated.
AVISO: Este sitio web se encuentra en constante estado de actualización. Casi a diario se añaden nuevos materiales. Es posible que algunos enlaces no estén operativos en ocasiones y que algunas secciones se encuentren en un estado de caos. Ten paciencia con nosotros.
Siempre se agradecerán sugerencias sobre cómo mejorar el sitio.
EXPLORANDO - NAVEGANDO ESTA PÁGINA WEB DE TOTCUS.Tenga en cuenta que este sitio web se desarrolló para ayudar a estudiantes de 10 a 18 años a encontrar información relacionada con el cambio climático para sus proyectos de TOTCUS o de clase. A medida que el proyecto se desarrollaba, surgió una gran cantidad de información, lo que ha significado que las páginas de CONOCIMIENTO se expandan en todas direcciones para explorar aspectos diferentes, pero interrelacionados, del cambio climático. ACTUALMENTE ESTAMOS REVISANDO ALGUNAS PÁGINAS.¿Por dónde empezar?Familiarízate con TOTCUS: esta página de INICIO.Las páginas de COLABORACIÓN te mostrarán quién participa o ha participado.Las páginas de COMPARTICIÓN ofrecen un resumen del material compartido a través de simposios, presentaciones y boletines informativos.Las páginas de CONOCIMIENTO: aquí encontrarás más de 100 páginas diferentes relacionadas con el clima. Nota: Puede haber varios lugares donde se muestre información o enlaces; por ejemplo, las páginas de ATMÓSFERA pueden contener información sobre CALOR, pero hay una página de CALOR separada que puede contener información sobre gases atmosféricos, etc.Las páginas de ACCIÓN son donde se comparten proyectos en curso que realizan investigación de campo o acciones de mitigación o adaptación.También existen sitios web de TOTCUS independientes, diseñados en torno a algunas de las áreas de acción en desarrollo, por ejemplo, TOTCUS - Agua.
The SDGs are sustainable, interconnected, and global. To achieve these goals, countries need to cooperate.
The SDGs are sustainable, interconnected, and global. To achieve these goals, countries need to cooperate.
“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”— Barack Obama
“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”— Barack Obama
¿Qué es TOTCUS? - Vídeo (5m) - presentado en la Conferencia de la Coalición Internacional de Escuelas de Niños, Boston, MA, junio de 2025
What is TOTCUS - video (5m) -- shown at the International Boys School Coalition Conference, Boston, MA, June 2025
Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right – Dr Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist.
Believe in the power of conversation to engage others to build understanding and community and take action. We can all make an impact, it's not too late.
EXPLORING - NAVIGATING THIS TOTCUS WEBPAGE.
EXPLORING - NAVIGATING THIS TOTCUS WEBPAGE.
Please note that this website has been developed to help students 10-18 years find information related to climate change to help tjem with their TOTCUS and/or class projects.. As the project developed a huge amount of information started to appear which has meant the KNOWLEDGE pages lead off in all directions to explore different but interrelated aspects of climate change. WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING A REVISION OF SOME PAGES..
So where do you start:
Become familiar with what TOTCUS is--this HOME page.
The COLLABORATION pages will show you who is/has been involved.
The SHARING pages provide an overview of the material shared though Symposiums. presentations and newsletters.
The KNOWLEDGE pages -- there are over 100 different climate related pages here. Note: There may be multiple places where information/links are shown, for example the pages listed under ATMOSPHERE may have information on HEAT but there is a separate HEAT page that may contain information on atmospheric gases etc.,
The ACTION pages are where projects underway that are doing field research or action 'mitigation' or 'adaptation' actives are shared.
Separate TOTCUS WEBSITES also exist, built around some of the developing action areas, for example TOTCUS - Water.
TOTCUS Website:
TOTCUS Website:
Use the menu at the top of each page to navigate around this site.
The site is designed to achieve two objectives:
a. Show case the TOTCUS project and the students work;
b. Provide a central location for resources that students can access.
The site will have regular updates and resources will be constantly added. Any comments can be addressed to the project coordinators shown at the bottom of this page.
All images on these pages are either from Google Images, or have been sourced from our own or colleagues photofiles with permission for education purposes.
If you use any of the TOTCUS materials in this webpage or in the links, please acknwoledge that use properly.
Sitio web de TOTCUS:
Sitio web de TOTCUS:
Utilice el menú en la parte superior de cada página para navegar por este sitio.
El sitio está diseñado para lograr dos objetivos:
a. Mostrar el proyecto TOTCUS y el trabajo de los estudiantes;
b. Proporcionar una ubicación central para los recursos a los que los estudiantes puedan acceder.
El sitio tendrá actualizaciones periódicas y se agregarán recursos constantemente. Cualquier comentario puede dirigirse a los coordinadores del proyecto que se muestran al final de esta página.
Todas las imágenes de estas páginas proceden de Google Images o se han obtenido de nuestros propios archivos de fotografías o de los de nuestros colegas con autorización.con fines educativos.
Si utiliza alguno de los materiales de TOTCUS en esta página web o en los enlaces, por favor reconozca que lo utiliza correctamente.
Project Overview:
History
TOTCUS (The Ocean that Connects Us) was established with the ambition to be a Pacific wide initiative. The project has grown out of a pilot project (TOTCUS - Chile / New Zealand) established in May 2022, and drawing inspiration from a similar project called Winds of Change. (https://cape.org.nz/winds-of-change-latam/).
Our TOTCUS pilot brought together a cohort of thirty-five high school age students (Kiwis, Chilean and other Latin Americans) who attend Liceo Juan Bautista Contardi (Punta Arenas, Chile) and Rosmini College (Auckland, New Zealand). These students worked together to examine the effects of climate change on their environment.
In May 2023, the Kiwi-Chilean students were joined by students from South Korea, Marshall Islands, Hawaii to share progress reports. In late November/December 2023 we held our first TOTCUS SYMPOSIUM adding Peru, Washington State, India, Finland and Singapore (see the SHARE page on the navigation bar above and scroll down to SYMPOSIUM). All presentations have been posted there, including the link to the Symposium videos.
TOTCUS has continued to grow in 2024 with (in August) over 250 students collaborating.
A second SYMPOSIUM was held again in late November/early December 2024. We are anticipating continued growth of the project, and a pleasing shift to ACTION focused projects.
2025 witnessed new schools in Germany, Vietnam, South Korea and Philippines joining. The highlight, perhaps, was TOTCUS being accepted, and we jumped in with a presentation, poster and spotlight session at the world Adaptation Futures Conference in October. An East and West Symposium was each hosted in November 2025.
Approaching 2026, there are new ideas, new TOTCUS partners and maturing projects. Seer the left sidebar for updates on the 2026 TOTCUS year.
We will have a focus on adding students from other Pacific Nations, in particular students attending schools in the Small Island Nations.
About the Project
The students in the TOTCUS project range in age from 11-18 years. The younger students are gaining skills from older students and the older students are developing project management and mentoring skills. All participants make a multi-year commitment to ensure continuity and depth of study.
The focus of this project is for the students to collaborate to gain knowledge and skill, share what they have learned and engage in action. In other words students engaged in TOTCUS WILL develop an understanding of the impact of climate change, collaborate and act to communicate and where possible lessen these impacts. Each collaborating cohort of students chose their groups' focus inquiry question.
The TOTCUS Symbol is the creative work of Ms Ovando.
Early days connecting students in Auckland, New Zealand with students in Punta Arenas, Chile
“We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” — Terry Swearingen
“We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” — Terry Swearingen
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