Ask a Volunteer
Q: How is your community celebrating Earth Day or Global Youth Service Day? Are you working on any projects to promote Earth Day or Global Youth Service Day?
A: For Earth Day, the children at my primary school cleaned the school building and around the school yard. They polished, and shined, and picked up trash. There was also a group that dug holes for the planting of trees, provided by the Macedonian Government.
Judith Hayek, Education Peace Corps Volunteer, Macedonia
A: We just finished a six-day English language immersion camp with an environmental protection theme in Morocco. The 101 campers were divided into six teams. Three represented endangered animal species in Morocco: Barbary macaques, Barbary sheep, and Barbary squirrels; and three represented endangered plant species in Morocco: cork oaks, cedar trees, and Argan trees.
Throughout the week the campers learned about important issues facing Morocco's environment and brainstormed ways of protecting their environment. Local Ministry of Water and Forestry officials gave a presentation, and in turn, campers gave group presentations. One day they participated in various recycling stations, learning the process of recycling paper and making various projects, "turning trash to treasure." They also spent an afternoon cleaning their campground and planting trees.
The camp ended with the announcement of the winners of the Camp Environment Cup, which was made of papier-mâché and represented all of the teams and activities completed throughout the week. This was great fun, and I hope we have an opportunity to repeat this type of camp!
activities completed throughout the week. This was great fun, and I hope we have an opportunity to repeat this type of camp!
Kristen Koob, Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer, Morocco
A: I live in a small community in Nicaragua and work in the primary schools. Trash is a big problem in Nicaragua, and I have been working with two youth groups making crafts mostly from recycled materials (trash found in the community). In one group of young women, we are knitting with grocery store bags that we cut into a string to crochet with, just like yarn. The women have made baby booties, purses, table decorations, and much more.
I am also working with youth aged 10-16 to make various crafts from trash found in the community and new materials. We have made belts and bracelets from potato chip bags, beads from old magazines, and bracelets from string. The kids recently have had trouble finding the types of trash we need in the community because they have collected most of it to make things.
I hope to have an art contest in the elementary school for Earth Day. In the coming months, when the rainy season begins, we will be transplanting trees in a small reforestation project with the elementary students.
Olenka Langen, Environment Peace Corps Volunteer, Nicaragua