In June, Climate Science Alliance team members went on a meaningful visit to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, marking another milestone in our ongoing partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Caribbean Climate Hub, Para La Naturaleza, and the beginning of many new partnerships across the region.
Our partners at USDA Caribbean Climate Hub welcomed us to Puerto Rico and accompanied us on our visit to the US Virgin Islands. Throughout our visit, the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub team supported us and our ability to build partnerships by helping us connect with local farmers and organizations. During our meetings with potential partners, they provided many climate change and farm planning resources, such as their Farm Planning Tool. Everyone was very excited about this tool and it was a great compliment to the youth educational resources we were presenting. It was a wonderful partnership that enabled us all to begin the process of building meaningful partnerships across the region to promote climate resilience.
During our week-long stay in Puerto Rico, also called Borikén, the Native Taíno name for the island, our team met with partners from the USDA Climate Caribbean Hub, local nonprofit Para La Naturaleza, the Conservation District and local educators. Together, we discussed the contents of the Climate Kids Caribbean Backpacks and how to ensure they are a meaningful resources for educators in the region.
The educational Caribbean Climate Kids Backpacks are designed as a set and cover three themes: Climate Change 101, Climate Smart Agriculture, and Regional Impacts of Climate Change in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The enthusiastic feedback we received from potential hosts of the Climate Kids Backpacks underscored the value of these engaging tools for educators to enhance their climate change curriculum. We also gathered examples of regional adaptation strategies and several relevant children's and adult books authored by local experts.
One of the highlights of our trip was visiting two Para La Naturaleza locations. Our first stop was at Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, located in the southern part of the island. Here, we were given a tour of their farm and the intricate waterways that once powered the machinery for preparing corn and coffee.
Later, we ventured to Hacienda Esperanza in Manatí, the site of an ongoing Climate Science Alliance partnership project, the DUNAS program. It was heartening to witness a successful dune restoration effort sustained largely by a dedicated team of local volunteers who take pride in preserving their cherished beaches and natural landscapes.
Since Para La Naturaleza will be a host for the Climate Kids Backpacks, during both of these visits we had conversations with the interpreters about what resources would make the backpacks most useful to them. We got great insight into what these educators need and how the backpacks can enhance the experience of youth who visit Para La Naturaleza locations.
At the end of our time in Puerto Rico, we had the pleasure of connecting with local artist and educator Ana Luisa Rivera Collazo, Lulu. We brainstormed collaborative efforts to incorporate art into the Climate Kids Caribbean resources and strategies to ensure the backpacks are well implemented in Puerto Rico. Lulu also generously shared her unique perspective on Old San Juan, offering us a tour of the historic city through the eyes of a longtime resident.
The team continued on to The US Virgin Islands, beginning on St. Croix, also called Ay Ay, the Native Taíno name for the island. Joined by the USDA Climate Caribbean Hub again, the team met with local organizations to discuss the Climate Kids Backpacks and identify locations across the US Virgin Islands that are interested in hosting the Climate Kids Backpacks and becoming a Climate Kids Hub.
Our visits with potential Climate Kids Backpack hosts began with Olasee Davis, Natural Resources Extension Specialist at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). Olasee has deep connections in the community and is passionate about sharing Traditional Knowledge that helps prepare people for extreme weather occurrences. The Climate Science Alliance and Caribbean Climate Hub teams also met with the Children’s Museum, a local mobile museum serving residents across the island and St. Croix Environmental Association who is known for their eco-centric summer camps and vast education programs.
Our time on St. Croix concluded at Sejah Farms, where both teams met with local farmers to discuss climate adaptation strategies and demonstrate climate change education activities included in the Climate Kids Backpacks. In addition to the farm, Sejah Farms has an educational facility on their property and often hosts educational events for youth and adults. The evening was a great interactive meeting with local farmers and we were very fortunate that Sejah Farms provided local, freshly made foods for all the attendees. Including patties, plantain chips, dip, fried oyster mushrooms, homemade bush tea and lots more delicousness! We are so thankful to Sejah Farms for hosting us and sharing your knowledge with us.
All of the organizations that we met with on St. Croix were very interested in the Climate Kids Backpacks and saw value in the resource. Each meeting also provided great education for the us to better understand the needs of educators in St. Croix and provided ideas for how to adapt the backpacks to be most useful to educators in the region.
After our time on St. Croix, we all traveled to St. Thomas to continue our venture of sharing and learning with a range of community and educational organizations. Our first visit in St. Thomas was at the Bordeaux Farmers Market where we met with farmers and organizers Benita Martin and Zimba as well the highly accomplished retired professor, LaVerne Ragster whose current efforts focus largely on climate change adaptation strategies in the Caribbean. The farmers market is active every Sunday and once a month becomes a bustling fair complete with educational activities for youth. We shared the Climate Kids Backpack resources with Benita, Zimba and LaVerne. They had some great feedback and ideas for how we can make sure youth on St. Thomas feel their lives reflected in the materials while learning about the environment around them.
In St. Thomas we also met with Gracia Lettsome of the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture. She shared with us the importance of teaching youth about the tropical foods that grow in the Caribbean and talked to us about some of the climate change adaptation strategies farmers in St. Thomas are implementing. We also learned more about the devastating impact hurricanes Irma and Maria on every facet of life in the Caribbean. Gracia gave great suggestions of topics to include in the backpacks, such as tropical foods, adaptation strategies, and education about hurricanes.
We also met with Chantel Hoheb from the St. Thomas Children’s Museum. She showed us the large and very well used Children’s Museum space, which was bustling with many excited children as we walked around. In addition to providing educational play based exhibits, like an adorable one about mango trees, they also have a library of books for kids, and work closely with schools in the area. Chantel was excited about the Climate Kids Backpacks and could see them being a valuable addition to the Children’s Museum and the educators they work with.
On the last day, the team traveled to the smallest of the US Virgin Islands, St. John. The Indigenous name for the island is Utuana, meaning “the fertile land”. The Virgin Islands National Park compromises 60% of the island and while managed by the National Park Service, it is also maintained and promoted by the nonprofit organization, Friends of Virgin Island National Park. We had the chance to meet with the Friends of Virgin Island National Park and tell them all about the Climate Kids Backpacks and the USDA land management tools.
While we were visiting the Friends of Virgin Island National Park, they were hosting their annual summer camps and lots of youth were arriving from St. Thomas via the ferry to explore St. John and learn about the environment. The Friends of Virgin Island National Park team are excited to incorporate the Climate Backpacks as a new addition to their educational programming. At the end of our meeting, the Friends of Virgin Island National Park team shared some freshly harvested tropical fruits with us; it was a wonderful way to end our trip!