Student Advocate Workshops for Earth Day

As part of Earth Day festivities, Heather Barrett, Deputy Director, and Jaren Serano, Dermatemys Program Coordinator with the support of Wildlife Education Fellow, Samih Young, delivered workshops at Sacred Heart Junior College and University of Belize. Over 60 students in Natural Resource Management and Biology as well as four educators participated in the workshops held on April 24th and 25th. The aim was to engage future conservationists and advocates by teaching current engagement methods, sharing existing resources and brainstorming additional opportunities. The workshop was centered around the critically endangered Hicatee turtle but also focused on the bigger picture of the conservation and protection of the watershed and its connected landscape.

The first part of the workshop provided background information and included a demonstration on conducting effective educational outreach presentations utilizing the Hicatee Awareness Month power point created as one of last year’s awareness materials. The second half of the session involved engaging students in independent thought and discussion during three breakout sessions.

Questions in the breakout sessions aimed to identify strategies and resources for engaging various stakeholders in advocating for Hicatee conservation (as well as the conservation of Belize’s natural resources overall), fostering countrywide awareness and equipping advocates. This collaborative effort allowed for the sharing of ideas and perspectives. Both sessions proved to be highly interactive, with all participants contributing brilliant ideas and thoughtful activities. The workshop concluded with the BFREE staff presenting a poster highlighting the first ten years of work at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center to school leaderships as a token of appreciation for their partnership.

Special thanks to the following individuals and organizations without whom this workshop would not have been possible:

Ingrid Rodriguez, NRM Professor at Sacred Heart Junior College, Dr. Pio Saqui, Samih Young and the UB Environmental Club for their coordination of these events; Disney Conservation Fund and Turtle Survival Alliance for their financial support that made these workshops a reality.