Life-changing adventure in Belize

My 15-year-old daughter embarked on a 2-week trip to Belize alone (as in traveling without friends or family) and returned having gained wonderful friends all across the continent, a sense of responsibility for our environment, and a variety of new information about various animals (her favorites being the manatee and tapir, I think, while she wasn’t a huge fan of the extremely loud howler monkeys :)). The teens spent so much time on boats, she is now convinced that she is destined for the sea. How could she not be? Who wouldn’t love snorkeling with fish, sharks, manatees; learning about local fishing communities; planting mangroves; tubing down rivers; and swimming in turquoise waters with friends? According to her it wasn’t just fun and games, though. The kids sat through several informative presentations on animals and plants, followed by hands-on service projects, like beach clean-ups, volunteering at a local school, assisting at the local zoo (my kid was tasked with painting a fence), seeding, bird netting, collecting ocean grass for manatee feedings, etc. Learning about the local culture by making tamales, visiting Mayan ruins, and playing local games was just icing on the cake! And she is very clear about this program being about seeing the bigger picture, wanting to make a change, and living life with an eye on service to the world. The accommodations were anything but fancy, the boats were not luxurious, and the group spent much of their time getting up very early and moving all day; "It was an adventure, not a vacation", she says and she loved every minute of it!
Thanks @glateens for making this a memorable experience!