Summary:

Natural Mentors (NM) facilitates cultural exchange and nature awareness through a youth excursion certification program and volunteer-vacation experiences for traveling groups from abroad. It connects local elder culture-bearers with youth leaders, youth with other youth, and local participants with traveling groups. Departing from the traditional tourism model, where the needs of the tourist come first, NM first focuses on relevant needs of the host population's cultural survival through hands-on workshops that center on traditional nature-based lifestyle skills, organic food production, and cultural mentoring. Second, it is structured to provide an interactive element for visitors ...