Community Service Projects

We are just getting started on our community service and peace training endeavors. Stay tuned as we add more to this site as each develops! We will also be creating films for TV & DVD on "Roads of Peace" featuring TFP projects, and creating books, plays, songs, and dances on some of these as well!

Belize is a small country in Central America, and its economy depends strongly on international tourism. Its population is approximately 300,000 people, and its natural resources & environments are still predominently intact. Ecotourism, over the last thirty years, has allowed rural community residents to produce revenue for their local economies.

In 2007, we participated in a Library Project in the Georgeville/San Ignacio community. We met with Mrs. Helen Jones, caretaker of the Georgeville Library. We spent a half-day (not long enough!) unpacking and organizing the books by type, building new shelves, and cleaning the library. Mrs. Jones made us lunch in appreciation. We thanked her for the opportunity to be of assistance, and wished her well with her programs for youth using the library!

Additionally, Peace principles can be taught in existing licensure classes of the Belize Tourist Board - we are talking the the Tour Guide Association - and to leaders in both national and local governments as well. Belize has five major ethnic groups and involving all in tourism and TFP programs is one of our goals.

Please check back with this site, or contact us, for further developments in this project!

Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world, and is very different than its African neighbors. It is a place out of time, with over 90% of its flora and fauna existing nowhere else on the planet. The cultures are unique as well.

We are currently talking with Malagasy friends about creating a Peace Eco-Tour in their country, and looking for an appropriate community to begin a relationship with and offer service projects.

We'd also like to build the Peace Path within Madagascar, particularly linking important parks and diverse places of peace. If you are intersted in Madagascar, please let us know!

We are looking to create training programs that teach peace principles to tourism hosts - hoteliers, tour operators, guides, etc. - through existing licensure programs. By teaching hosts to express peace principles in every aspect of their work with guests, they create a culture of peace, with compassion for differences, and dialogue and actions that support unity through diversity.

Our peace training programs target all personnel associated with the tourism industry:
* Hospitality Staff, Tour Operators, Guides, Artisans
* Individual Businesses
* Community Organizations
* Government Tourism Organizations
* Tourism, Social, or Environmental NGOs
* Guests (Travelers, Visitors, Clients)

We welcome interns to participate with us in each of our in-country projects, doing research and training, and working with partner organizations.

We put together TFP teams to work with local and national organizations to assist in planning and developing community-based ecotourism ventures and marketable development. Our primary areas of experience are in: 1) Community Supply Tourism Assessments; 2) Market Demand Tourism Assessments; and 3) Guide Training & Certification.

Many rural comunities are beginning to implement ecotourism as a way to capitalize on local natural resources and attractions, with the intent of preserving these assets at the same time. Our TFP consultants collaborate with community organizations and individuals to assess the strengths and challenges of community-based ecotourism ventures, and determine where development funds can best be allocated. We examine the community's ability to supply sustainable ecotourism, and help determine next steps and action plans.

Ecotourism can bring many benefits to a community, but only if it can meet the demands of the targeted tourist markets. TFP consultants work with communities to identify locally supplied attractions, and then to conduct a tourist demand survey of target markets, in order to rank preferences, and determine willingness to pay. These data can then be used to package attractions and services, to highlight and improve existing ventures, and to increase the community's share of these markets.

Guiding is an integral part of experiencing the outdoors - particularly in a new culture or foreign land. Quality servcies are crucial to a successful ecotourism experience, and poor services can destroy even the best venues and marketing efforts. It is important that local venders know how to capture, captivate, and communicate with foreign tourists - and how to organize and certify their service personnel and guiding staff. TFP consultants work with local individuals and organizations to: develop guidelines and training materials for perspective guides and porters, highlight conservation messages, evaluate attractions and propose tourism packages, and develop licensure programs and certification qualifications.