Stanford Environmental Leadership and Language program (SELAL)

In January INOGO kicked off the Stanford Environmental Leadership and Language program (SELAL), a youth leadership and education program in Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula. The three-week program was the culmination of several years of research and included significant input from local stakeholders. SELAL relied on partnerships with local and regional leaders and the public sector to provide the students with rich hands-on experiences. Six local high school students in the Tourism and Hospitality and Accounting specializations at the Colegio Técnico Profesional (CTP) Puerto Jiménez participated in daily classes taught in English by two INOGO staff and one intern. The curriculum was designed in response to needs that local businesses identified. Instruction modules included ecotourism and hospitality, conservation and biodiversity, as well as research from INOGO’s Phase I.

SELAL featured two pillars: a curricular component where students worked on various themes and modules in English, and the hands-on workshops and activities led by local public and private sector partners. Workshops took place at the CTP, at various ecolodges, and even hiking on a nearby trail. The interactions with ecolodge staff and visits to the ecolodges were especially valuable, providing students with an opportunity to see how the knowledge and skills gained in their specialty would be applied in the workplace. For workshops and activities, INOGO partnered with Danta Corcovado Lodge, El Remanso, Lapa Rios Ecolodge, in addition to working with colleagues at the Costa Rican National Parks Service (SINAC). Workshops and activities for students included customer service, youth leadership, résumé development, sustainability, entrepreneurship, training in becoming a wildlife guide, cooking lessons of various specialty entrées, and even overnight stays in a lodge.

Helping students and young adults find work and take pride in the local ecotourism industry was one of the key motivations behind the development of the SELAL program. Through the interactions of the students and the lodge participation, by the end of the program one of the students was offered an entry-level position at Lapa Rios Ecolodge!

We are pleased with the very first SELAL program, and we acknowledge that none of this would have been possible without the support from the CTP Puerto Jiménez, the enthusiastic students, and other local collaborators. Soon, we look forward to continuing our youth leadership training in the region and we hope to see students participating in other important projects such as Caminos de Liderazgo!

For more information, please contact Austin Cruz at austincr@stanford.edu, Travis Bays at tjbays@gmail.com, or Emily Arnold Mest @ebarnold@stanford.edu.