Welcome


UPDATE:  The 2024  TOTCUS Symposium is scheduled for those schools in the Pacific and Americas -- December 6 (9:30 am to 1:30 pm NZDT).  The South Asia, Europe  and select East Asia schools will share on November 21 (6:00 pm to 7:30 pm NZDT) 

Interested?  Join us on ZOOM (send request for invitatioin to totcus projects.gmail.com)  or in person at Rosmini College, Takapuna, Auckland , New Zealand

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  

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 enabled 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.

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.

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


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.

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.

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 (see Share -- PROGRESS REPORTS). In late November/December  2023 we held our first TOTCUS SYMPOSIUM adding Peru, Washington State, India, Finland and Singapore (see SHARE --  SYMPOSIUM).

TOTCUS has continued to grow in 2024 with (in August) over 250 students collaborating. 

We 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