💼 What the programme involves
Eco-Tourism involves two major themes - Nature and Culture. Eco-Tourism is a form of responsible travel which contributes to the protection of the environment in natural areas, and the preservation of culture in local communities. It also provides conscious travellers with unique experiences, which cannot be provided by mass tourism. This is a new project initiated by FSL-India, which means there is still a lot to be explored and initiated while undertaking such developmentally appropriate interventions.
Volunteers will start by getting to know the village, neighbourhood and the villagers in order to work together with them and see the different aspects of their lives. Educating the locals about the problems and exploring possibilities with Eco-Tourism is an important aspect of the work.
Volunteers have to develop a working methodology that taps into local resources and volunteers will develop a way of working, drawing local potential, introducing and setting up structures, such as:
'e Creating a database of information of the surrounding areas
'e Training and working with the local community in order to involve them and ensure active participation.
'e Raising awareness on environmental and cultural preservation
'e Setting up and running the Eco-Tourism project
'e Promoting Eco-Tourism as a form of livelihood for the local community.
'e Maintaining the website
The main fields of work are: art, traditional life, sights, environmental awareness, food, agriculture, industry, medicine, landscape, outdoor activities, religion, and spiritual experience. Each of these fields is divided into more sub-fields. You will be working in a small team or individually to complete the database. The work profile includes site-based research. Therefore, the ability to research, documentation and writing reports is appreciated. The Info-sheet will have more information regarding the individual projects with schedules, and activities.
Note: Minimum application for Eco-Tourism is for four months.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You could be staying with local families near to the project. You could be sharing rooms with 2-3 volunteers or staying on your own. Sometimes, projects provide accommodation for the volunteers. The project will provide a room that is shared by other volunteers or with the staff of the project.
📍 About the location
Our projects are spread out across different regions in South India. Your project location could be in any one of the following locations - Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Kundapur, Udupi, Mangalore, North Karnataka or Pondicherry. You will be notified of the location of your project a month prior to your arrival. During the Orientation week, one can find out the leisure activities around your area. There are lots of things to do in south of India.