Over the past few weeks, a class of twenty CM2 pupils from Marie Havet elementary school in Nouméa, accompanied by their teacher Audrey Mazeron, have become co-researchers at the crossroads of three research projects: CLIPSSA, SOCPacific2R, and MaHeWa on marine heat waves (WP3).

In dialogue with researchers involved in CLIPSSA and/or MaHeWa project (Catherine Sabinot, Elodie Fache, Annette Breckwoldt), students from the University of New Caledonia (Amandine Aiglehoux, Elijah Tenene, Reine Wadieno), Vanessa Montagnat from New Caledonia’s Department of Pedagogical Education, Florian Barthe from the Symbiose association, and their teacher Audrey Mazeron, these young co-researchers defined two drawing instructions. They then proposed these instructions to the other 5th graders in their school, whom they also interviewed after the drawings had been completed. Analysis of these drawings led the young co-researchers to adjust their two drawing instructions, which will then be used for drawing workshops in elementary school in La Foa and Thio:

• Draw what might happen to fish and coral, vegetables and fruit, as a result of climate change.
• Draw what fishermen and farmers can do to have fewer problems, even if the planet warms up.

The schoolchildren from La Foa and Thio, after following the given instructions, tested and adjusted a drawing instruction focusing on reef passes in turn. A few days later, the young co-researchers from Nouméa responded enthusiastically, each producing a corresponding drawing.