Summer Environmental Workshop
From Peace Corps Wiki
Info about the Summer Environmental Workshop
Belize is blessed with a multitude of magnificent natural resources, and the wise management, sustainable development and conservation of these resources are of vital importance to the country’s economic and social development. Thus, environmental studies must be recognized as an essential component of the education of Belizean youth, who will in their own turn be responsible for the sustainability of these important resources. Unfortunately, the reality is that there exists a lack of environmental education resources and skills training available to primary level educators. In an effort to help alleviate this situation, the Belize Foundation for Conservation, along with its project partners (the Belize Ministry of Education, the Chaa Creek Natural History Center, and the State University of New York at Cortland) has developed the Summer Teachers Institute in Environmental Studies and Culture. This five-day workshop will take Belizean and American teachers out into the field to explore the unique archaeology, ecology and ecotourism of Western Belize, and will provide them with invaluable hands-on training on the benefits of participatory, locally relevant environmental education. Additionally, the workshop will serve as an opportunity for Belizean and American teachers (whose participation will be funded through the generosity of SUNY Cortland) to meet personally to exchange ideas and cultural perspectives on classroom learning and environmental issues. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of the importance of environmental education to the preservation of Belize’s unique heritage, as well as new tools to help bring the issues of environmental to life in their classrooms.