GSL Trinidad has the pleasure of working with Nature Seekers again, who are based in a rural town called Matura. Nature Seekers is a non-profit organization that works to protect and conserve their environment while also working closely with their community to promote sustainability. One of their biggest impacts on their community is completely eliminating the poaching of leatherback sea turtles, bringing the rate from 30% down to 0%. One of the ways they raise money is by doing tours that include kayaking, going to the mermaid pool, turtle tagging, turtle watching, and more. They also do beach clean ups and use recycled glass to make and sell jewelry. 

This was one of the main reasons why I was so drawn to this class and program. Their dedication to environmental conservation is inspiring, and I am eager to see what they do day-to-day when we get to go there in just two days over spring break. The people we have met on zoom so far have been so welcoming, which has only made me more excited for the in-country portion of this course.

My team’s project is to create a training course for Nature Seekers to deliver to people in their community, focusing on grant writing and project management. We have been working on creating training materials such as activities to deliver during training, templates to use, and general fundamentals. This will be presented to the community in the form of a two six-hour day training session, which we are building up using these deliverables and talking to many industry professionals. This is a large project, but I am more than confident that my group will be able to deliver it effectively by the time the semester is over. We have made tons of progress already, but I am excited to finally meet the staff of Nature Seekers in person and get even further knowledge of both the project and the community as a whole. 

This organization has grown to be extremely successful with their mission, and they have stayed dedicated to helping their community grow with them, which is essentially what our project is meant to help with. We are working very closely with Nature Seekers to develop educational tools regarding grant writing and project management that are tailored to community needs in Matura. Nature Seekers has had a great impact on their community in the last 35+ years, and they are continuing to grow more and more each year. 

My team hopes to accomplish a few different things when we are in Trinidad next week. First, we simply want Nature Seekers to look at our deliverables so far and give us advice on how we can improve or if there is anything we should change. We also want to follow up with how last year’s project went, and maybe add that to our deliverables if any issues arose or if their needs have changed and they are now looking for something else. Finally, Pitt is offering a new course in the fall semester, where students will go to Trinidad in December and work with Nature Seekers again. We will be discussing what they are hoping to get out of this new program and any projects that they may already have in mind and report everything back once we come home. 

On another note, we also just want to immerse ourselves in Trini culture and be present the whole time. I am hoping to listen, ask questions, and simply be grateful for all that I get to experience on this unique spring break adventure. One thing we all seem to be excited about is the food distinctive to Trinidad and Tobago, because of all that we have heard about it, especially the roti and ice cream. 

I think the biggest challenge for me, personally, is getting on “island time.” I consider myself to be a very punctual person with good time management, so I will need to remember to embrace the slower pace of life with a more relaxed sense of time. This will probably be the most prominent during times of discussing our project and work that we have to do. Outside of that, I don’t foresee many issues arising due to any cultural differences, especially since English is the official language of Trinidad and Tobago. There is always a possibility of travel delays/problems, which can get frustrating, but could happen anywhere. 

One of the articles from class that I will take with me when we leave is “Building an Ethical Partnership” by Dawn Lipthrott. It is simply about what values should be present in partnerships across both parties, which I believe is very relevant for the in-country portion of this program, but also great to apply to situations within my own group since we first met. The values include personal accountability and responsibility, respect, care and valuing for well-being of all, integrity, and collaboration. At the most basic level, respect and care for others should be present no matter what, which I believe we have all already established by this point. Another important value for me is collaboration, because this project is too big for people to work on by themselves. Collaboration is a way to make good work even better, but it is also a way to get through potential challenges or hiccups that we are bound to encounter over the course of the semester. We have been working together for almost two months now, but I am expecting to go even further while we’re in Trinidad since the face-to-face aspect will make the communication much easier and more effective. This project is already the most that I have worked with one group of people in a class, so we are very lucky to have a great team that are all just as dedicated and curious as I am. 

I am eagerly awaiting the variety of foods and activities I get to experience, but I am most looking forward to meeting the people, building relationships, and learning more about the culture. My next blog will be an exciting recap of my time in Trinidad, and I can’t wait to share these adventures.