Here at Na’atik, we firmly believe that it is crucial that language learning happens both inside and outside the classroom. As a part of our mission to make learning expansive with real world applications rather than just learning from a textbook, we host a variety of extracurricular activities in our intercultural library such as our game nights, film club, and science club. Often, these events are open to both our Na’atik students and their friends. 

In early November, Social Media Content Curator and Photographer, Megan, led a new science club event, Clean Carrillo, in which an adolescent student group learned about Leave No Trace Principles and how they can apply them to their daily lives to make a positive impact. 

Before coming to Na’atik, Megan worked as an outdoor educator and backpacking guide in some of the USA’s beautiful national parks. She is passionate about teaching people how to enjoy nature responsibly, respectfully, and sustainably. As such, she was excited at the opportunity to partner with Na’atik’s science club on a sunny Saturday morning. The event began with an introductory brainstorm about the outdoor activities everyone enjoys. Students highlighted that in Carrillo, they enjoy spending time outdoors walking, running, and biking. Many students highlighted that when outside Carrillo, in parts of the greater Yucatán Peninsula, they love swimming in local cenotes, lagoons, and the sea. And while students agreed that Carrillo and its surrounding natural areas are beautiful, they also noted how these places are not always treated with respect and dignity due to the lack of public education on keeping our shared environment clean in Mexico.  

As such, the students were excited to learn tangible skills presented by the outdoor organization Leave No Trace (LNT) that would help them better protect the places they love so much. With each principle presented, the students discussed how they could apply the practice of it to their daily lives. For example, when it comes to the first LNT principle, “Plan Ahead and Prepare,” the students suggested how they could bring plenty of food, water, and designated garbage bags so they could collect their trash (and maybe someone else’s) after a day out at the nearby centotes that dot the Sian Ka’an Bioreserve. Similarly, the group highlighted how the principle “Leave What You Find” is of the utmost importance when visiting and enjoying some of the most beautiful and well-preserved ancient wonders of the Maya Civilization such as Chichén Itzá that are found right here in the Yucatán Peninsula. In addition to respecting historical archaeological wonders, the students learned some key ways to adhere to the principle “Respect Wildlife” such as avoiding following and feeding the diverse animals that can be spotted on land like jaguars and toucans and in water like colorful reef fish and sea turtles. 

The deepest discussion, however, was sparked by one of the most pertinent principles of our time: “Dispose of Waste Properly.” As an introduction to the seriousness of the topic, Megan had the students participate in a “Trash Timeline” activity in which each student was given a card with either a common trash item found in nature or a time period in number of years. It was up to the students to communicate with one another to match the trash items with the corresponding time it takes for the object to break down and then put themselves in order from least to greatest. Once the students had made their educated guesses, the group watched a video revealing the correct answers. While the students had gotten many answers correct, they were shocked to know that plastic bags take 10 to 20 years to decompose, aluminum cans take 80 to 100 years, and glass bottles can take upwards of 1 million years. With these statistics in mind, the group headed out to the neighborhood streets to pick up these items and other various types of trash littering the streets. In just 15 minutes, the group had collected over 10 jumbo bags of trash. 

Once back inside and with freshly washed hands, the group came together to reflect on the experience. One small group boasted about how their team alone had filled nearly four garbage bags and as such had won the “competition” for who could pick up the most trash. Competitions aside, Megan asked the students to pick one to three words that described how they were feeling in the moment. “I’ll start.” She said, “I feel sweaty, dirty, and proud.” One by one, the students chimed in, adding that they felt happy, tired, good, hot, and inspired. One student highlighted how he was surprised that he could have such a positive impact in such a short amount of time. Hope hung in the air almost as if it was physically turning up the corners of mouths into smiles. To close, the group read aloud the book, Does Earth Feel?, by Marc Majewski. The book asks a series of 14 questions all beginning with “does Earth feel” such as does earth feel sick, heard, or protected? It concludes with the call to action, “And you, what do you want Earth to feel?” that left students to reflect on their own agency when it comes to their responsibilities to our planet. 

The science club at Na’atik is committed to making sure Earth feels heard and protected and that our students feel empowered to be a part of positive change. If you’re interested in being a part of the movement toward living in a more sustainable world, you can get involved directly with Na’atik’s efforts whether that means donating to our library fund that supports the science club and other extracurricular activities or visiting Na’atik to improve your Spanish (or Maya) with one of our award-winning immersion experiences. Your support ensures that our local students gain the skills they need to help lift up their own community and make their own futures.