From Boat to Throat: How Oral Histories Immerse Students in Ecoliteracy and Community Building

This article describes an oral history immersion trip and service learning project in the Monterey Bay region of Central California designed to develop the ecoliteracy of high school students and involve them in community building. Through their oral history interviews, students learned that the seafood industry faces numerous challenges to sustainability and through their advocacy project they sought to heighten consumer awareness toward the goal of a sustainable fishing industry in the region. Along with developing ecoliteracy, the project achieved many core outcomes, including critical thinking skills, compassion, interdisciplinary communication, and community building.