As destinations worldwide reopen to tourism, trends indicate that travelers are looking for experiences that enable them to connect with local communities, support sustainability and positively impact the places they visit.

Grenada’s new Voluntourism program, launched this month by the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), checks all those boxes.

The program aims to bridge the gap between travelers visiting for sun and sand and the travelers interested in volunteering their time to support a charitable cause through immersive experiences.

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“For travelers, Voluntourism provides an intimate and memorable experience, which allows them to make deep and meaningful connections with our local community while leaving a positive footprint on our island,” said Petra Roach, CEO of the GTA.

“We want to connect through their hearts and passions, which will in turn increase their propensity to return to Grenada. We want to join together to be better global citizens, intent on ensuring a positive impact and bringing about positive change,” she said.

Voluntourism opportunities are available year round in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, the environment, education and health. There are no fees for visitors to participate in any of the programs.

Here’s a sampling of the programs available in the tri-island destination of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique:

Agriculture

• Annandale Community Project. Annandale Waterfalls, a short drive from the capital of St. George’s on the southwest side of the island of Grenada, are surrounded by tropical foliage and greenery and is the site of the Annandale Community Garden. Locals tend the crops there and can bring home produce at no cost. They are also taught how to plant the crops and how to make meals in the garden’s kitchen using the harvest. The project seeks volunteers to help with the gardening and to teach nearby school children the importance of eating what one grows.

Animal advocacy

• The Grenada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The group, dealing with the ongoing issue of dog overpopulation on the island, is looking for volunteers to take sheltered dogs out for a day to the beach or on a hike, or simply to take them out for an hour or two for a walk in the botanical gardens. Help is also needed with bathing puppies, socializing kittens and tasks like washing out food bowls, as well as with maintenance work at the shelter: things like painting a wall or fixing a fence.

• Ocean Spirits. The group Ocean Spirits conducted a research project back in 2000 to evaluate the status of the leatherback sea turtle nesting population in the northeast of Grenada. Results from this initial study also revealed high levels of illegal egg poaching, which exceeded 90%. Ocean Spirits actively tackles this issue and has considerably reduced this threat to 5% on Levera Beach. Volunteers can join the research team for night patrols of the beach or participate in educational summer camp programs.

Environment

• Grand Anse Artificial Reef Project. This is the brainchild of Grenada’s dive community, who have seen firsthand the damage to the reefs from global warming. To combat the disappearance of reefs and sea life, Phil Saye at Dive Grenada spearheads the building and placement of artificial reefs in marine protected areas. Once the reefs are positioned, they are monitored and maintained with underwater cleanups, urchin and fish counts, ID tag placement and cleaning. Volunteers in this program assist in those practices and can see for themselves new sea life flourishing.

Education

• Grenada Scholarship Program. This program provides funding to marginalized youth to continue on their educational path. The funds go directly to school fees, books and uniforms. Volunteers are needed to guide and instruct the students who need extra help.

• Carriacou Culture Train String Band. The sister isle of Carriacou is the tri-island’s cradle of culture, and the band teaches kids how to play string instruments. Volunteer musicians are needed to hold workshops for teachers and students.

Health

• Medical Elective in Grenada. This program engages nurses, junior doctors (those practicing while still undergoing post-graduate training) and medical professionals to lend their expertise on all three islands. Volunteer medical doctors are needed to help teach current doctors different practices used in crisis management and the use of basic types of equipment.

For a full list of voluntourism opportunities, visit www.puregrenada.com/voluntourism/.

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