Science and Environment Educators

Peace Corps is seeking Science and Environment Educators in Oregon, IL, to teach general science and promote environmental education in Guyana. Educators will work with local teachers, teach grades 3-6, and engage with community members to enhance environmental stewardship. Responsibilities include co-facilitating wildlife clubs, community assessments for sustainable resource management, and using inquiry-based methods to connect students with their natural environment.
Location: Oregon

SPECIAL NOTICE ABOUT CITIZENSHIP:
Candidates who are dual citizens of Guyana and the U.S. are not eligible to serve with Peace Corps Guyana. Volunteer safety is of paramount importance, and the protections of U.S. citizenship promote Volunteer safety. If anyone holding dual U.S. and Guyana citizenship were to face a legal, safety, or other emergency situation in Guyana, the Peace Corps' ability to intervene would be limited.

If you hold citizenship with both the U.S. and Guyana, we encourage you to look at other opportunities with Peace Corps.

Guyana is known as the Land of Many Waters and has a vibrant culture and is rich in biodiversity.

Peace Corps Guyana’s Environment project aligns with the Government of Guyana’s commitment to providing a better quality of life for all Guyanese derived from the country’s natural wealth – the vibrancy of it’s people and abundant natural resources including land, water, forests, mineral and aggregates, and biodiversity. Science and Environment Educators serve primarily as general science teachers, introducing and infusing environmental education and awareness into their teaching and in their work with both students and community members in their out-of-school hours.

Science and Environment Educators live and work in villages and towns along the coast, or in rural, riverine and remote communities in the hinterlands (interior) of Guyana. They serve primarily as science teachers, while also working with youth and adults in communities to build their capacity to be better environmental stewards and support the effective management and sustainable use of Guyana’s natural resources.

Science and Environment Educators work in the classroom, alongside local teachers in a primary school, co-planning and co-teaching general science to Grades 3 – 6, five days a week. The primary grade science curriculum focuses on the following areas of science: animal and plant kingdoms, the human body, environment, weather, materials, earth and space, energy, and forces (gravity and electromagnetism). There is significant need and opportunity for infusing the teaching of the curriculum with inquiry-based methods using the 5

Es – Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate/Expand, Evaluate place-based science and use of the local environment (outdoors) as a classroom. In addition to supporting Guyana’s National Science Curriculum, Science and Environment Educators introduce concepts and activities to support students’ understanding of and personal connection to the natural environment.

Science and Environment Educators also identify and work with interested community members to co-plan and co-facilitate an environmental/wildlife club for youth that meets after school, on weekends and/or during school breaks. The purpose of the club is to build awareness and appreciation of nature and to develop youth leadership skills.

Finally, they seek to strengthen communities' ability to assess, plan for, and manage their local natural resources sustainably, and enhance resilience to climate change. Under this objective, Volunteers and their Counterparts will co-facilitate community assessments to identify issues related to solid waste management, guide schools on best practices for handling solid waste through school engagement, and guide individuals on best practices for handling solid waste through household visits.

During Pre-Service Training (PST), Trainees will receive an overview of how to establish and manage clubs and after spending 4 months at their assigned site and 3 months actively working in schools, Volunteers will be allocated dedicated time to focus on establishing their environmental club and/or implementing community-based projects, activities, or assignments. This schedule will allow Volunteers 2 days per week to work on community-based projects and 3 days per week in schools.

Other tasks include the following and are taught during the training periods with Peace Corps:
Using Participatory Analysis for Community Assessment (PACA) tools to integrate and work with community members to identify secondary projects. These activities can go beyond your primary responsibilities of co-planning,…