Leah Fouchong - Connecting the classroom and environmental advocacy

Leah Fouchong, 34, has a passion for the environment which started when she was a child.

In an interview with WMN, she shared the journey from simple days surrounded by nature in Cumuto to becoming an advocate for nature worldwide.

Having completed a degree in geography and geology at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica, Fouchong’s passion for advocacy was sparked after she moved to Belize in 2012 to do a master’s degree in biodiversity

conservation and sustainable development in the Caribbean, after being awarded a scholarship. The focus of her master’s was marine studies.

“I always had that love for nature, and going to Belize just cemented that love. I realised I didn’t just love the terrestrial land, which I interacted with growing up, but more the marine side of the environment.”

Since returning to TT in 2014, she has been a geography teacher at St Francois Girls’ College, Belmont, and has expanded her environmental work by founding the Coexistence Expeditions’ ecotourism tour group. The group offers recreational tours to help people build a connection with the environment.

“Only when you love something you are willing to protect that, so that was my way of sparking interest in the environment,” she explained.

She soon realised the reach of the tour activities and used it as avenue to recruit people to Change Makers for the Environment, an advocacy group she founded.

“I wanted to utilise my master’s (degree) and my knowledge. I realised the country did not have a lot of marine conservation groups that focused on educating people about marine and terrestrial environments.”

Every June, the group hosts a nature walk to commemorate World Environmental Day and World Oceans Day. Members also take part in beach clean-up activities and reforestation programmes.

“We discuss environmental issues and try to make plans for what people will do individually to make a change.”

Asked what changes she has observed since starting the group, Fouchong said there has been an increase in membership, which she views as a sign that the environment’s importance is being recognised.

“The environment is higher up on the agenda globally. It may not be high up on the agenda locally, but a lot more people are now trying to reconnect to nature.”

Given that many people use nature for therapy and relaxation, she is using this connection to educate people about the importance of preserving the environment for these benefits now and in the long term.

Her scope is not only limited to TT. In December 2018 she participated in UNESCO’s Training in Oceans School workshop in Costa Rica. The workshop was for teachers from Latin America and the Caribbean. Its aim was to enhance their ability to educate people about the value of protecting oceans.