New beginnings - we know it’s a bit late, but happy 2020! The 2019 school year in Ecuador has come to an end, but the Eco-Club has a few new exciting beginnings to share with you all - site updates, tree growth and our MOST thrilling news: the opening of new Intercultural Immersion trips for Environmental Ambassadors! Read on to learn more.
2019 Wrap Up
This past year was tough; following the loss of GSE, our founding organization in early 2019 and consequently the loss of our 10-year old nursery and garden site at Fanny de Baird High School, things were left to a rough start. If there are any takeaways from the past year, its this: growth is slow, but there is power in perseverance.
Last month, we wrapped up our first season with our group of 30+ high school students from Eloy Alfaro high school. Because the school was new, we had no reputation and no strong cohort of past students to share their enthusiasm. Convincing 30+ teenagers to get dig in the dirt, pick up trash and talk about the science of trees after school is not easy. That being said, we are SO PROUD of our students for the progress they made. In December, they closed off the school year with an open house to educate the entire student body of their work, their “why,” and their progress. In January, we took a field trip to a nearby reserve for a final reforestation project where they planted 50+ native Tropical Dry Forest trees. Check out our photos below!
Open House - December 2019
Final Reforestation Project
2020 Check In
Our local team has been working hard. Our group of returning Alumni led by Program Director Marcelo Valencia have spent 5 days in a row working to maintain our nursery and garden site. A winter break plus winter rains means LOTS of weeds (yes; “winter” in Ecuador means hot hot sun, and wet wet rains). Lots of weeds means lots of macheteing. Macheteing means clearing space around our tree babies so they can keep growing big and strong - and look how they are growing!!!
RISE: Environmental Immersion Trips 2020!
That’s right - in a few short months, we will be opening registration for our 2020 Immersion Trips with Rise Revolution - an intercultural immersion program that develops passionate environmental ambassadors through intentional leadership training and community service. Since the loss of GSE, we have been committed to developing a sustainable method of funding as a commitment towards positive change and environmental protection on a global scale.
If you’re unfamiliar, my name is Maya Normandi, and I first traveled to Ecuador in 2010 in one of Global Student Embassy’s very first trips abroad. Since then, I had participated on 4 international trips as a high school and college student, led 10 trips as an Exchange Coordinator and Exchange Manager. Ten years ago, I fell in love with a country of extreme beauty, extreme potential but most importantly, extreme neglect. It’s been my heart’s mission to fight alongside the community of students, that when armed with the awareness, skills and confidence, are completely capable of changing the world.
If any of this speaks to you, I invite you to read my post about the importance of the work we are doing here:
If you are interested in learning more about our Rise Revolution 2020 program, please make sure to subscribe to our newsletter below to stay informed for when we go live.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all your support. Change is impossible without community - community is impossible without your support.
Best,
Maya Normandi and Marcelo Cedeño Valencia