This blog is dedicated to relating the experience of the learning community from the University of Denver Interterm Course, LDRS 2400: Leadership and Sustainability in Belize.
Each year, 16 students from DU venture to Belize, Central America to learn about sustainability and leadership from scholars and leaders. You can read their reactions here.
Today was our first full day in Belize. After breakfast we heard five speakers at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development.
Dr. Colin Young started off addressing some of the major challenges with achieving sustainable development in Belize and on a global level. Part of the problem is a misconception (or lack of understanding) of what sustainable development actually is. The fact that it's a process rather than an agenda with a deadline and specific requirements also poses a challenge. Humans by nature tend to act towards a specific goal or success - and sustainable development simply won't reach any form of finish line. It will be an ongoing process (one that's hard for people to grasp or perceive in totality). Belize specifically is dealing with a lot of social, economic, and legal setbacks that prevent it from efficiently moving towards more sustainable functionality. Those issues include the amount of poverty in the country, which affects over 40% of the entire population. The protection of land is also controversial. There is a battle between selling land to stimulate the economy and preserving biodiversity on land and along the barrier reef. It's hard for the Belizian government to favor sustainable development above the general well-being of society considering the alarming poverty rate and the relatively ineffective law enforcement system.
Dr. Philip Castillo discussed economic trade and challenges in Belize. The debt to GDP ration is over 70% in Belize and the unemployment rate is high. An intriguing idea that Dr. Castillo described was Belize's position on the value chain. Since most of the exports are raw materials that eventually are part of a new product, Belize makes a very small profit for its exports. He asserts that moving up the value chain is critical to decreasing national debt and working towards a more balanced economy.
Melanie Smith discussed a panoramic view of the culture and history of Belize. Her presentation touched on Belizian identity and the pluralistic ethnic separation. In other words, there are many ethnicities and many mixed races, but Belizians tend to identify with only one.
Pablo Mis went into some specific details about Mayan communities in Belize, who make up around 12% of the overall population. Their land is being threatened by searches for oil and deforestation. The inability for the two to coexist poses a threat to both cultural diversity and biodiversity - no suggestions have been made that could incorporate both sustainably.
Filiberto Penados wrapped up the lectures by talking about sustainable development and indigenous peoples of Belize. He went into further detail about identity and cultural expression and how sustainability has to incorporate economic, environmental, and social objectives.
We left Belmopan and headed back to Caves Branch for some dinner and rest before tomorrows activities.
Julie Robinson is a marine specialist who works to conserve nature. She has been working in that field since 1996 and has made huge strides towards conserving natural resources and protecting the reef off the coast of Belize. Her goals include creating sustainable fisheries, creating marine protected areas, exploring economic alternatives, adapting to climate change, and having sustainable financing.
The company Julie works for partners with many other organizations internationally and locally. Hearing about the successes that have been made in the last couple of years gives me some hope that Belize will continue to have one of the best coral reefs in the world. The unfortunate news is that there is still a decline in fish populations each year despite the increase of protected areas. The gaps in their plans will continue to develop and hopefully will find an ideal balance between tourism, sport-fishing, diving, and fishing for food.
I was interested in Julie's ideas about finding alternative things for fishermen to do. Examples include the algae farms and sea cucumber farming. If fishermen are satisfied with changing their area of work, it could balance the economy and help maintain stability in the reef.
Hopefully in the next couple years Julie and her co-workers will be able to fill in some more of the gaps such as sport fishing regulations. Climate change is also another component that they deal with in protecting marine areas. Finding ways to make coral more resilient to sunlight could be incredible.
Julie ended with a quote about small groups having the power to make changes. She stressed the importance of believing in a cause and pursuing it whole-heartedly.
Day 2 (11/28/12) Today was not what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought we were going back to the George Price Center for more lectures but instead we were transported through Belmopan to the B.E.S.T center where we had a very intellectually stimulating lecture on micro financing in Belize. It was inspiring to listen about a man, Dennis Jones, who is passionate about helping others. Dennis talked about how he doesn’t care that he doesn’t receive a high salary; it’s rewarding enough to see his loans make a difference to the community. After the B.E.S.T center we explored some street vendors who tried their hardest to sell us every item we picked up. I was amused by their selling techniques, constantly saying how all the bracelets and scarves look great with my eyes, etc. They were friendly until you would leave and they would bitterly tell you that I would have no hope finding lower prices than theirs. We went to a small restaurant called Benny’s for lunch and I finally got to eat rice and beans, and it is definitely all its cracked up to be. Before I knew it, it was lecture time. We pulled up to a roadside restaurant, which was fitted for us to learn with a projector screen and everything. An outdoor classroom made it a little difficult to focus, not to mention the adorable puppy that was roaming around looking for attention. The Friends for Conservation and Development talked about the Chiquibul forest and the many challenges the Belizeans face in protecting it. Rafael Manzanero was passionate about what he was doing; he talked about how when he began he was just a kid with a rope who loved to dive around in caves. He discussed the challenges of protecting the forest especially because Guatemala poses a huge threat. The book The Sustainable Revolution by Andres R. Edwards, he states the importance of “shared responsibility”, discussing “the importance of personal responsibility, cooperation and partnership in sustainable development solutions”. He knows that cooperation among communities (Guatemala and Belize) is of vital importance (36). This whole issue is an issue between stability and sustainability, for example the preservation of the forest vs. the law game (logging and hunting). The Friends for Conservation and Development follow within the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria of forest stewardship. The FSC principles focus on “promoting sustainable forest practices by ensuring that forest management ‘shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and, by doing so, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest” (83). We traveled to the local high school, Mount Carmel, where we were introduced to the principle, who was a very kind and soft-spoken man. He gave us a lecture on leadership so we could begin thinking about what we were going to teach the students the next day. David Ruiz compared the different aspects of leadership to white water rafting. Breaking it apart into four categories and ending with common characteristics of a powerful leader. It was an effective analogy, one that I am sure not to forget. The real fun of the day came when we got to play soccer with some kids at the high school. We were transported to their local soccer stadium, where we prepared for them to kick our butts. They were dressed in uniforms and cleats, while our team looked pathetic, some of us not even wearing shoes. Although they destroyed us, it was really fun to spend time in a carefree environment with them.
Today was an early day but completely worth it! We went back to the Mt. Carmel High School to work on developing leadership skills with the student council. They gave us a tour of the school, which was really nice. They had classes ranging from wood working to cooking. It was exciting to see the environment in which these kids learned in compared to the school system I am accustomed to in the US. We began with a discussion of the 5 practices of student leadership. The first one is model the way, which is personal credibility. The second is inspiring a shared vision, which means “leaders are driven by their clear image of possibility and what their organization could become”. The third is challenge the process, which means that leaders are willing to step out into the unknown. The fourth is encourage the heart, which means how leaders are often tempted to give up but “acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward”. The fifth act is learning to lead, which means that the self-confidence required to lead comes from learning about ourselves. “Self-confidence develops as we build on strengths and overcome weaknesses”. The students seemed to really understand each section, they felt especially strong toward encouraging the heart. The students were so enthusiastic to be able to work with us on leadership. We broke into small groups where we led group activities. Our group focused on teamwork and the importance of trust and communication. One member in each group was blind folded and the other member had to successfully lead them through an obstacle course before the other group. It was a great way for these kids to become more comfortable with each other as well as their leadership styles. They really were trying to learn as much as possible and had very insightful answers in the debrief. The best part o the whole day was seeing how much they appreciated having us there. After our wonderful time at the school we headed to the Xunantunion Mayan ruins where we were given a tour by a Mayan who excavated the site. He told us stories about what each area was used for. I was especially struck by the story he told of how after the games the loser would we tossed down the stairs on the castle, which is an extremely long way down. Then the leader would skin the person alive and wear their skin as a coat. It is definitely a different culture. It was incredible to stand on top of the ruins and to be able to look over the whole valley. It was really exciting to be on such a historical ruin.
Today was our first full day in Belize. After breakfast we heard five speakers at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development.
ReplyDeleteDr. Colin Young started off addressing some of the major challenges with achieving sustainable development in Belize and on a global level. Part of the problem is a misconception (or lack of understanding) of what sustainable development actually is. The fact that it's a process rather than an agenda with a deadline and specific requirements also poses a challenge. Humans by nature tend to act towards a specific goal or success - and sustainable development simply won't reach any form of finish line. It will be an ongoing process (one that's hard for people to grasp or perceive in totality). Belize specifically is dealing with a lot of social, economic, and legal setbacks that prevent it from efficiently moving towards more sustainable functionality. Those issues include the amount of poverty in the country, which affects over 40% of the entire population. The protection of land is also controversial. There is a battle between selling land to stimulate the economy and preserving biodiversity on land and along the barrier reef. It's hard for the Belizian government to favor sustainable development above the general well-being of society considering the alarming poverty rate and the relatively ineffective law enforcement system.
Dr. Philip Castillo discussed economic trade and challenges in Belize. The debt to GDP ration is over 70% in Belize and the unemployment rate is high. An intriguing idea that Dr. Castillo described was Belize's position on the value chain. Since most of the exports are raw materials that eventually are part of a new product, Belize makes a very small profit for its exports. He asserts that moving up the value chain is critical to decreasing national debt and working towards a more balanced economy.
Melanie Smith discussed a panoramic view of the culture and history of Belize. Her presentation touched on Belizian identity and the pluralistic ethnic separation. In other words, there are many ethnicities and many mixed races, but Belizians tend to identify with only one.
Pablo Mis went into some specific details about Mayan communities in Belize, who make up around 12% of the overall population. Their land is being threatened by searches for oil and deforestation. The inability for the two to coexist poses a threat to both cultural diversity and biodiversity - no suggestions have been made that could incorporate both sustainably.
Filiberto Penados wrapped up the lectures by talking about sustainable development and indigenous peoples of Belize. He went into further detail about identity and cultural expression and how sustainability has to incorporate economic, environmental, and social objectives.
We left Belmopan and headed back to Caves Branch for some dinner and rest before tomorrows activities.
CASE STUDY BLOG
ReplyDeleteJulie Robinson is a marine specialist who works to conserve nature. She has been working in that field since 1996 and has made huge strides towards conserving natural resources and protecting the reef off the coast of Belize. Her goals include creating sustainable fisheries, creating marine protected areas, exploring economic alternatives, adapting to climate change, and having sustainable financing.
The company Julie works for partners with many other organizations internationally and locally. Hearing about the successes that have been made in the last couple of years gives me some hope that Belize will continue to have one of the best coral reefs in the world. The unfortunate news is that there is still a decline in fish populations each year despite the increase of protected areas. The gaps in their plans will continue to develop and hopefully will find an ideal balance between tourism, sport-fishing, diving, and fishing for food.
I was interested in Julie's ideas about finding alternative things for fishermen to do. Examples include the algae farms and sea cucumber farming. If fishermen are satisfied with changing their area of work, it could balance the economy and help maintain stability in the reef.
Hopefully in the next couple years Julie and her co-workers will be able to fill in some more of the gaps such as sport fishing regulations. Climate change is also another component that they deal with in protecting marine areas. Finding ways to make coral more resilient to sunlight could be incredible.
Julie ended with a quote about small groups having the power to make changes. She stressed the importance of believing in a cause and pursuing it whole-heartedly.
Day 2 (11/28/12)
ReplyDeleteToday was not what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought we were going back to the George Price Center for more lectures but instead we were transported through Belmopan to the B.E.S.T center where we had a very intellectually stimulating lecture on micro financing in Belize. It was inspiring to listen about a man, Dennis Jones, who is passionate about helping others. Dennis talked about how he doesn’t care that he doesn’t receive a high salary; it’s rewarding enough to see his loans make a difference to the community.
After the B.E.S.T center we explored some street vendors who tried their hardest to sell us every item we picked up. I was amused by their selling techniques, constantly saying how all the bracelets and scarves look great with my eyes, etc. They were friendly until you would leave and they would bitterly tell you that I would have no hope finding lower prices than theirs. We went to a small restaurant called Benny’s for lunch and I finally got to eat rice and beans, and it is definitely all its cracked up to be.
Before I knew it, it was lecture time. We pulled up to a roadside restaurant, which was fitted for us to learn with a projector screen and everything. An outdoor classroom made it a little difficult to focus, not to mention the adorable puppy that was roaming around looking for attention. The Friends for Conservation and Development talked about the Chiquibul forest and the many challenges the Belizeans face in protecting it. Rafael Manzanero was passionate about what he was doing; he talked about how when he began he was just a kid with a rope who loved to dive around in caves. He discussed the challenges of protecting the forest especially because Guatemala poses a huge threat. The book The Sustainable Revolution by Andres R. Edwards, he states the importance of “shared responsibility”, discussing “the importance of personal responsibility, cooperation and partnership in sustainable development solutions”. He knows that cooperation among communities (Guatemala and Belize) is of vital importance (36). This whole issue is an issue between stability and sustainability, for example the preservation of the forest vs. the law game (logging and hunting). The Friends for Conservation and Development follow within the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria of forest stewardship. The FSC principles focus on “promoting sustainable forest practices by ensuring that forest management ‘shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and, by doing so, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest” (83).
We traveled to the local high school, Mount Carmel, where we were introduced to the principle, who was a very kind and soft-spoken man. He gave us a lecture on leadership so we could begin thinking about what we were going to teach the students the next day. David Ruiz compared the different aspects of leadership to white water rafting. Breaking it apart into four categories and ending with common characteristics of a powerful leader. It was an effective analogy, one that I am sure not to forget.
The real fun of the day came when we got to play soccer with some kids at the high school. We were transported to their local soccer stadium, where we prepared for them to kick our butts. They were dressed in uniforms and cleats, while our team looked pathetic, some of us not even wearing shoes. Although they destroyed us, it was really fun to spend time in a carefree environment with them.
Day 3 (11/29/12)
ReplyDeleteToday was an early day but completely worth it! We went back to the Mt. Carmel High School to work on developing leadership skills with the student council. They gave us a tour of the school, which was really nice. They had classes ranging from wood working to cooking. It was exciting to see the environment in which these kids learned in compared to the school system I am accustomed to in the US.
We began with a discussion of the 5 practices of student leadership. The first one is model the way, which is personal credibility. The second is inspiring a shared vision, which means “leaders are driven by their clear image of possibility and what their organization could become”. The third is challenge the process, which means that leaders are willing to step out into the unknown. The fourth is encourage the heart, which means how leaders are often tempted to give up but “acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward”. The fifth act is learning to lead, which means that the self-confidence required to lead comes from learning about ourselves. “Self-confidence develops as we build on strengths and overcome weaknesses”. The students seemed to really understand each section, they felt especially strong toward encouraging the heart.
The students were so enthusiastic to be able to work with us on leadership. We broke into small groups where we led group activities. Our group focused on teamwork and the importance of trust and communication. One member in each group was blind folded and the other member had to successfully lead them through an obstacle course before the other group. It was a great way for these kids to become more comfortable with each other as well as their leadership styles. They really were trying to learn as much as possible and had very insightful answers in the debrief. The best part o the whole day was seeing how much they appreciated having us there.
After our wonderful time at the school we headed to the Xunantunion Mayan ruins where we were given a tour by a Mayan who excavated the site. He told us stories about what each area was used for. I was especially struck by the story he told of how after the games the loser would we tossed down the stairs on the castle, which is an extremely long way down. Then the leader would skin the person alive and wear their skin as a coat. It is definitely a different culture. It was incredible to stand on top of the ruins and to be able to look over the whole valley. It was really exciting to be on such a historical ruin.