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Monthly Achievement Report
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GVI.2014.2
Monthly Achievement Report Jalova, September 2015
Taking in the global view of Global Vision International-‐ the transition from
being a volunteer to becoming a Jaguar project leader in a year
Objective One of GVI’s key objectives is Empowerment-‐ to equip our alumni with the knowledge and ability to further contribute towards key global and local issues. This month we decided to highlight the skills gained throughout GVI from being a volunteer in South Africa to becoming a field leader in Costa Rica. Summary This is a written testimonial on how Grant Baker has used his skills and knowledge gained through his internship to achieve one of his goals and grow within GVI. “From Africa to Greece and now in Costa Rica being part of GVI has taught me how to work in different environments and by using my past experiences to transition smoothly from one place to another”. Report-‐testimonial
As an intern it´s in your head that you are looking for a career in the field that you are interning for. You choose to dedicate your time and money to work towards and prove that you are worthy to work in this field. After completing university I was head strong to live my dreams and have an adventure. Choos-‐ing to do the GVI internship in South Africa, Limpopo, was one of the best decisions of my life. Looking to gain valuable work experience and field knowledge as well as accomplishing one of my oldest dreams by seeing and working with lions in the wild. I was hoping it would to lead to a new and exciting career. Once my time ended in Limpopo I looked at what I could do next to achieve a more permanent position in the field of wild-‐life conservation. I immediately went to the GVI Careers Abroad webpage. Searching the many options I could apply for I decided to help with the summer under 18’s program in Greece. I was accepted and made my way to Europe for the summer. The environment and project was completely differ-‐
ent and with the volunteer’s being under 18, volunteer management was a whole new ball game. I also gained knowledge on marine turtle biology and survey techniques which were very helpful to lead the turtle surveys here in Jalova. When I arrived to Jalova, I was told I would take over as the Jaguar project leader, which is a big responsibility, as we work in partnership with top notch Jaguar researchers in the area like Panthera and the Coastal Jaguar Conservation, whom conduct very im-‐portant projects in the area. The skills I gained during my time in Limpopo eased my training as I already knew how to set up camera traps and identify felines. All in all by using my past GVI experi-‐ences to adapt to life, now in Jalova it has made me open minded and able to learn quicker how the project works here.
GVI.2014.2
Through training, knowledge and motivation my goal is to achieve a smooth transition into a new GVI project. Through gaining knowledge and learning about the local environment here in Tortguero National Park, understanding new species and working around a new data base as well as learning new tasks and management routines around base are all part of reaching my achievement. Arriving at a new base is a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety. By coming into this new envi-‐ronment with an open mind and positive attitude I felt a similar attitude was reciprocated by my fellow staff members. The first week in Jalova can be intense with presentations every day and a large number of species to learn and identify. Turtles, Incidentals, Birds, and Jags are the main fo-‐cuses here at base all with their own specialised test that needs to be just about one hundred per-‐cent for a staff member to pass. As a staff member it is important to lead the multiple surveys at Jalova. To lead your own survey you must be knowledgeable and prepared to lead a survey while another staff member is in attendance to ensure you are doing it correctly. I found this to be ex-‐tremely helpful in order to feel confident enough to lead volunteers into the jungle and on to the beach. On surveys and around base there are many different species and some of them can be tricky to identify. To achieve my goal to make a smooth transition it is important to take the time to look up and learn about species you don’t know. Spanish is the local language here and for me to under-‐stand the locals and understand community issues I have been trying to learn more Spanish as well as review local maps or old articles related to the area. One of the biggest tasks of being a staff member is getting into a rhythm here at base. Understanding where things are or where they go. How to restock supplies or retrieve an important tool to complete a task. Adapting myself to a dif-‐ferent schedule format and setting multiple alarms to get the day started for survey. Finding a rhythm didn’t happen overnight but with time it has become almost second nature around here at base. All aspects of being here at Jalova are important from surveys, volunteers, data, and self-‐improvement. Looking back at this past year and the multiple GVI projects I have worked for, they have all been different with many excitements and excellent experiences. Each taught me many different things but they all had something similar that I could relate to and use to adapt with ease. The transition to Jalova as been a very positive one and with everyday I’m getting more comfortable and confident with my surroundings. With each project I’ve worked I take in important amounts of knowledge and positive experiences to the next.
Grant Baker, Jaguar project leader.