ATC Community Service Projects
Community service is an integral part of every Academic Treks College program. Each trip offers between 10-55 hours of service work which complements the program focus. In addition to making a real contribution to the communities we visit, volunteering provides rich opportunities for learning, personal growth, leadership development and cultural understanding. Our students consistently tell us that the service work was the most meaningful and rewarding part of their trip, offering them remarkable perspectives on other people and places, as well as their role in the world.

Academic Treks College chooses community service projects that complement and build upon the cultural and academic focus of our adventures, providing engaging and unique experiences that enhance the educational components. Our projects are often well-established, ongoing endeavors done in partnership with globally recognized service and volunteer organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, REEF, the Caribbean Conservation Corporation and Peace Corps volunteers.

Many students use their ATC experience to satisfy community service requirements at University, and we are happy to provide a letter describing the service work completed. Below is a list of project work completed on our trips:

Marine Science Programs

Marine Resource Management
Students work with the Statia and Saba’s Marine Parks to assist with the ongoing management of the reserves. Activities include but are not limited to helping to assess coral diseases, bleaching, algae coverage and biodiversity, contributing to the Reef Check Survey Project, participating in Statia’s turtle monitoring program, conducting conch research, participating in park patrols in the marine park and helping to set and maintain permanent moorings.
Hours: 25+

Sea Turtle Ecology and Conservation
Students tag turtles on the beaches of Tortuguero and assist in the longest continuing sea turtle research program in the world at the John H. Phipps Biological Station. Work includes tagging turtles alongside researchers during night shifts, tracking inventories and conducting surveys. ATC students will also work on a service project with local children in the community of Tortuguero.
Hours: 25+

Marine Mammal Ecology
Students spend several days working as “naturalists in-training”, which includes shadowing and assisting professional naturalists on 60-foot whale watching boats, working at the Whale Interpretive Centre, educating tourists about fragile marine habitats and working alongside marine scientists observing whale behavior in the Johnstone Strait.
Hours: 35+

Shark Behavior and Conservation
Students collect data for the Shark Foundation database and the Reef Check Fish Survey Project. Shark Studies participants also work on an ongoing community outreach project in a local village with Fijian children. Students will be involved in local outreach programs, promoting conservation and reintroduction of native species.
Hours: 10+

Tropical Marine Biology
Students collect data for the REEF Fish Survey Project. Their data is submitted to REEF headquarters in Florida and added to a national database of reef fish abundances. They also assist with marine service projects at STENAPA, Statia’s marine park, and embark on community education projects.
Hours: 15+

Language Programs

Spanish Language and Culture
Students work with Habitat for Humanity of Ecuador building a home for an Ecuadorian family. Students work alongside the home recipients, practicing their Spanish and developing meaningful friendships. The work entails manual labour, from mixing cement to laying bricks to digging out a site. Students are engaged in physical labor for most of the day for one week of the program.
Hours: 40+

French Language and Creole Culture
Students work on projects such as helping out at a local summer day camp in Saint Anne or working with an aid organization in Pointe-à-Pitre. They also assist with a restoration project on a coastal reserve on Basse-Terre. 
Hours: 20+

Chinese Language and History
Students work with the children at a Tibetan orphanage in Shangri-La in the Yunaan Province, teaching English, playing and spending time with the children.
Hours: 20+

Natural Science Programs

Primate Behavior and Conservation
Students help sustain New World monkey populations by assisting local organizations with reforestation, habitat renewal, conservation, animal rehabilitation and education efforts. 
Hours: 35+

African Wildlife Conservation
Students assist with efforts to conserve, protect and increase African wildlife populations that are threatened by habitat destruction, development, poaching and hunting. They also collect data on game drives and participate in community outreach and education projects.
Hours: 40+