How she went from picking out ants in the soils of Kenya, to being a part of the Geoversity community in Panama.

Gretchen North

How she went from picking out ants in the soils of Kenya, to being a part of the Geoversity community in Panama.?

Gretchen North is a recipient of the Obama Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service. The scholarship provides funding for exposure to new places and experiences that foster understanding, empathy, and cooperation, equipping the next generation to create meaningful change.

How did Gretchen end up in Panama, and what sparked her interest in the projects with Geoversity?

After traveling to Latin America in 2016, Gretchen knew that one day she would return to Panama to contribute positively to a community. Following the 2022 Obama conference in NYC, she had the opportunity to meet Geoversity’s co-founder, Nathan Gray, and Executive Director, Juan Carlos Monterrey. She learned about the conservation and indigenous-led community projects that were unfolding in the jungles of Panama. This was enough to persuade her to visit Panama’s indigenous territories and Geoversity’s Science and Leadership Training Centre in the Mamoní Valley Preserve (MVP).

Gretchen has since dedicated her time to volunteering in the Comarca of Gunayala with a Guna indigenous community. She spent time on an island at one of their remote communities, where she was welcomed into their homes to enjoy traditional meals like dule Masi and spent nights sleeping in hammocks, a preference of the Guna. Elders invited her to participate in their daily community meetings, providing her with the opportunity to observe how the community allocates its chores among its members. She also engaged with the local schools, gaining a deeper understanding of their programs that blend the rich Guna culture with other activities mandated by the Panamanian Ministry of Education.

Following her experience on the Caribbean coastal islands, Gretchen returned to the MVP, where she had initially spent her first few days in Panama adapting to the tropical humidity and engaging with the diverse programs spearheaded by Geoversity. Upon her return, she had the opportunity to spend time with Jessica, her husband Brian, and their two young children. They currently reside at the MVP’s Agroforestry Site, where they are nurturing the projects’ bamboo grove—the primary source for building materials for their future home.

The family, who first arrived in 2019 as volunteers at Geoversity’s rainforest campus, came to scout out the region with interest to make their move away from the San Francisco Bay area to fulfill their dreams of living in the jungle while supporting social projects with regenerative purposes in mind. Gretchen is collaborating with Jessica to expand upon the work they accomplished with Geoversity and during her Fullbright scholarship. This work is grounded in environmental education programming designed for schools in the Mamoní area, specifically tailored for primary school students and rural communities.

Gretchen believes that rural communities are the people that are generally most connected to the land, for communities to be more sustainable it's about going to the root of the community often left behind without access, education and resources. She hopes to offer assistance and education to families owning substantial land, who have the opportunity to use it sustainably. Her aim is to channel this education and real-life experience throughout the entire community. Interacting with school children, collaborating with them alongside students from other remote schools, conducting environmental education and nature observation – all to explore how we can learn from nature and encourage children to adopt these thought patterns.

Gretchen found herself "living among the most sustainable people I have ever met." Jessica and Brian make a conscious effort to utilize everything they acquire and to reuse whenever possible.Growing 50% of their calories they eat, farming this, and buying locally, and here she has been able to learn so much from one family. Gretchen is eager to witness the trajectory of these endeavors and to absorb the lessons gleaned from this experience, as well as from the insight of dedicated community organizers like Jessica.

Gretchen is enthusiastic to continue building on the experiences that have arisen from her involvement with Geoversity.. As she continues to expand her connections and network, she eagerly anticipates the upcoming days she will spend with Geoversity’s Juan Carlos and another recipient of the Voyageur Scholarship. Together, they will delve into the desertified province of Chitre, immersing themselves in the conventional cattle herding practices of the community. They aim to learn about the climate change impacts the community faces, how they are addressing these challenges, and the effects of deforestation on their livelihoods. This region is Juan Carlos' hometown, an environment he was born into and is now more passionate than ever about transforming into a story of regenerative renaissance.?

Where it all began:

Gretchen's journey began with her studies in Conservation Biology at the University, along with minors in Environmental Management and Wilderness Studies. These pursuits led her to traverse through Kenya. Her profound interest lay in studying soil and soil erosion within this particular region. She carried with her a wealth of stories, like those of meticulously extracting ants from the soil, and offering children life-changing opportunities. Her extensive time in The Maasai Mara forged an affection for its people, animals, and education. Guided by this experience, she established a workshop centered around systemic thinking and sustainability. This initiative targeted young innovators within the region, particularly senior school children where she resided. Gretchen's travels throughout Kenya solidified her commitment to return and contribute to the community. Motivated by this desire, she sought scholarships to support her efforts.

Applying for the scholarship:

The Maasai Mara was her main focus as she knew the importance of the ecosystem it has to offer, creating jobs for local individuals in the area as well as bringing in tourism. The importance of preserving this caught her attention and Gretchen realized the lack of community input into preserving and conserving the Maasai Mara. This was purely based on lack of education and awareness and not having the knowledge, the tools and the frameworks but the interest and determination to change - so she thought, “I can use the funds from my scholarship to come back here and continue my research but also give back to the community that was so willing to welcome me in as one of their own”.

After winning the scholarship Gretchen went back to the Emarti village and community of the Maasai Mara region and worked with the teachers of the school, rangers, conservancy managers and the secondary school conservation club. At the secondary school she led a workshop series with the conservation club where they discussed eco systems, food webs and interconnectedness, which she framed around system thinking and sustainability. This frame of mind can assist local individuals with the intention that it will benefit them with future decisions. She went on to have further conversations with young innovators/entrepreneurs surrounding change and sharing with them “If you change the way you rotate cattle that will affect the way the grass grows, it will affect where the zebras and giraffes come to eat, in turn affects the whole system. Composting is key in benefiting crop yields and having more consistent food security.”, which Gretchen learnt from her studies in ?regenerative education.?

With interests including sustainability, climate change, carbon emissions, fossil fuels, and soil erosion—and many more aspects related to the environment and its preservation—Gretchen is leveraging her opportunities through the Voyageur Scholarship to directly benefit local communities. Additionally, she is providing secondary students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She organized a safari day trip for school children who live across the river from the conservatory, and who had never before had the chance to visit. This trip provided the perfect setting for them to observe animals, wildlife, and trees, while initiating valuable discussions about regenerative models they can integrate into their lifestyles.

Gretchen believes that in the face of human-induced climate change, we can't afford to start from scratch. Rather, we must discern what strategies are effective and what are not. She is not focused on reinventing the wheel; instead, she seeks to learn from others and determine whether their approaches are successful and applicable to the people she encounters and educates worldwide. She aims to incorporate these lessons into her future experiences, whatever they may entail.