Outdoor Ambassadors Summer Program
From Peace Corps Wiki
Info about the Outdoor Ambassadors Summer Program
Outdoor Ambassadors is a project that engages youth in environmental activities in communities around Albania. The environmental problems faced by the nation are acute. Unfettered logging threatens forest habitats and exacerbates soil erosion. Poaching and illegal wildlife trade have caused decline in species populations, and national parks remain unregulated against such threats. Air pollution is beginning to eclipse urban centers, and negligent waste management policies have intensified pollution of arable land. These trends threaten not only Albania’s natural ecology, but its future development. Environmental protection is fundamental to improving the quality of life in Albania, and youth will be the leaders at the crux of its protection for the future.
Outdoor Ambassadors will educate the new generation of Albanian youth about the environment and develop community leaders in conservation. Outdoor Ambassadors has currently established 10 Outdoor Ambassador clubs throughout the country. These clubs meet weekly, are led by Peace Corps volunteers and their Albanian counterparts, and involve over 150 high school students. Outdoor Ambassadors is seeking funding for club materials and a three day spring camp in the mountains for 50 youth. Students will raise their personal transportation costs, and camp trainers will donate their time and transport. Through regional clubs and the camp, youth will be challenged to identify the most pressing ecological concerns in their communities and plan, develop, and implement conservation projects that address these issues. They will acquire the knowledge, skills, and passion they need to begin to solve some of the deep-seated issues facing Albania today.