Please help promote and advertise the CIty Nature Challenge for the four areas in Botswana. We have P4000 as prize money

Hi Tony,

Contact Mike who is the headmaster at Matshwane in Maun - matshwaneps@gmail.com and cc the college as well matshwanecollege21@gmail.com

Mike might also be able to put you in contact with other school heads in Maun.

As discussed before I will be in SA over those dates so won't be able to participate but will try to help with ID's if I can find the time while traveling.

I think the prize money is a great incentive, well done for organizing that!! However I would suggest that the prizes should only be available for new participants and not to existing members as it would be hard for the new members to compete with those who are far more experienced and the aim is to promote new people to get involved. Just a suggestion.

Riana x

@robert_taylor @rianafourie the money was given to me as a gift/honourium, by the organisers of the CNC in Los Angeles for my obsession and addiction to iNaturalist. I have decided to use it to help promote iNat in Botswana. Perhaps I could get some local businesses to top it up or give prizes next year. My thinking at present, is that most of the money is reserved for the most active primary student, most active secondary student and most active schools (incliding teachers/parents and students) with a little reserved for the established inaturalists. There can also be a special prize for the most active tertiary student ( or teacher ?)Schools are on holiday at the moment ( I think) so when they come back for the second term they shall have to be very busy preparing students.
I now have an excuse to send out emails to all schools, colleges, youth organisations. Education officers, Perm Secs and Govt Ministers etc describing iNat and the CNC.
Hopefully if we can increase inat usage in Bots and CNC participation we'll get more gifts from USA which could be used as incentives.

Tony

I think schools are on holiday until the 8th May so it might be hard to reach all the students but nowadays the teachers have whatsup groups with the students so they can still encourage kids to participate. If you want I can send a whatsup message on the Matshwane college parents what's up group but it will be better if coming from the teachers. Let me also see if I can share the FB post on the school FB page.