STEA joins Globe Aware to start Volunteer Vacations in Jamaica
In May 2007 STEA partnered with Globe Aware, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that develops short-term volunteer programs in international environments. Globe Aware has been arranging cultural missions for 15 years in developing nations and organizing volunteer missions since 2000 and now finds itself working in eleven countries throughout the world. The program has the goals of promoting cultural awareness and sustainability in developing countries and markets its trips as safe, culturally interesting, genuinely beneficial to a needy community and involving significant interaction with the host community.
With STEA's history of volunteerism, a working relationship with an organization such as Globe Aware is a natural fit. Since its inception at a local community meeting in February of 1996, one of the ways in which STEA meets its institutional goals is through the volunteerism of like-minded individuals. In the organization's eleven year history over ten US Peace Corps Volunteers have served the organization, many of them living and working in the same communities that the Globe Aware programs will take place in. STEA also has over two-hundred members that contribute their time and effort to our projects and a voluntary nine member board sets the direction and policies of the organization.
Globe Aware trips provide volunteers with the opportunity to contribute to a project that provides sustainable economic development for a local Jamaican community and will also have a sustainable positive impact on the natural environment. Program participants work closely with local community members on the project and stay with families in the community, maximizing cross-cultural learning. Rural Cockpit Country offers a unique cultural experience. It is a place where many old-time cultural traditions are still present, a stark contrast to the “sun, sea and sand” tourist experience typically associated with Jamaica.
By promoting environmental improvement, community development and cross-cultural understanding, Globe Aware is beneficial to both volunteers and the citizens of communities where projects take place. Currently, STEA’s major area of focus is Cockpit Country, a large forest area located in the heart of the island. It is Jamaica’s last remaining wilderness area and is home to over one-hundred fifty endemic species, several of whom are endangered. STEA works with local communities in and around Cockpit Country to promote its conservation and develop alternative livelihood activities that minimize human impact on the forest. Most of the Globe Aware projects will focus on conserving this forest area, Jamaica's most valuable natural resource.
For more information on the Globe Aware program, or how you can take a volunteer vacation in Jamaica, please visit Globe Aware's website.