Problem

Students interested in real-world environmental problems must leave their classrooms behind and become immersed in the issues they study. But delivering academic lectures in the field is no easy feat. In order to provide multiple perspectives, The School Field Studies invites guests from our host communities to talk to our students. SFS provides lecture fees and transportation costs for guest lectures from local experts such as Masaai morans in Kenya and Aboriginal elders in Australia.

The Gift

The SFS model of environmental education is interdisciplinary and experiential. Our guest experts deliver field lectures that provide the students with a well-rounded picture of the concepts and topics at hand. With a mangrove, the Caribbean Sea, or an African savannah as their classroom, SFS students are able to grasp these concepts and see firsthand the details of the lecture within its environmental or socio-economic context. As an example, your gift might provide 20 to 30 SFS students with the opportunity to listen to a Costa Rican farmer explain his decision to transition his coffee farm to organic production; or to a Mexican panguero (boat driver) explain how sea turtle conservation education efforts at the SFS Center for Coastal Studies convinced his family to stop eating turtle meat.