Youth Camp Beach Clean-up at Alejo Beni Park
My summer of 2016 was spent working as a community development and education intern with the National Garifuna Council (NGC) in Belize. The internship was for my undergraduate degree in Global Studies. My work as an intern with the NGC organization challenged me in new and creative ways, as I was able to apply my practical knowledge from the classroom in a real-life cross-cultural setting.
Gulisi Students
Annual NGC convention in Libertad, Corozal
My internship responsibilities included work in three coastal Garifuna communities: Dangriga town, Hopkins, and Seine Bight Village in the Stann Creek district located in the south of the Belize. My job was to plan a week long environmental summer day camp for the youth to learn about coastal community resilience and the Garifuna cultural affinities to the sea. I wrote funding proposals to engage with the community and get support for the camp. My major project with the NGC was drafting a strategic plan for a regional Garifuna organization that aims to establish mechanisms for coordination and communication between national Garifuna organizations in Belize, with the objective of unifying the social, economic, environmental, political and institutional resources of the Garifuna, promoting territorial inclusion with the Garifuna in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Other projects I worked on in Belize include environmental education at Gulisi Community Primary School, planning beach erosion mitigation mechanisms for a park in the cultural capital of Dangriga, a mangrove reforestation project, a village beautification project and several beach clean ups, workshops, and conferences regarding the Garifuna and climate resilience. I was able to network with organizations such as Oceana Belize, the Southern Environmental Association, the Women’s Political Caucus, Pan-American Development Association, the World Wild Life Fund, missionaries and university students from the U.S.
Living in a homestay with a traditional Garifuna family was one of the best decisions I could have made, as it put me out of my comfort zone, challenging me to find comfort in it. It also helped me to build networks in the communities I was working in.
My internship has instilled in me a new appreciation for classroom learning, while it has also helped to prepare me for future cross-cultural work scenarios. I have new confidence in my ability to do whatever I put my mind to, as well as a better understanding of both my personal and professional skills. What I learned in my internship is impossible to put into a few short words. This experience would have not been possible without the support I received from VIU. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and one I highly recommend to anyone who is considering an internship abroad!