Volunteer in Cuba with IOI: Marine & Coastal Habitat Restoration
- Cuba
About Program
As the Marine and Coastal Habitat Conservation Volunteer, you will contribute to an ongoing initiative to improve and monitor marine and coastal ecosystem health. The data collected will help guide the environmental planning of this protected area.
Your volunteer time will consist of marine and coastal habitat restoration work. On land, this includes, invasive species removal, reforestation, bird diversity counts and data collection. Work in the water includes snorkeling to conduct fish and seagrass surveys, underwater trash pickups, and invasive species removal (lionfish capturing).
Accommodation is provided at Villa Arrecife, our volunteer house and dive center. The house has air conditioned bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and back patio and is minutes from the ocean.
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Diversity & Inclusion
Impact
Sustainability
Our Net-Zero 2025 Strategy extends our current 2021 carbon-neutral initiative which inset all of our Scope 1 (direct) and 2 (indirect) emissions, and offset all our Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions “are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organization, but that the organization indirectly impacts in its value chain” (EPA 2022).
IOI’s programmatic on-site emissions, Scopes 1 and 2, were inset through our own conservation efforts. Our Scope 3 emissions, mostly created by travel to our faculty-led study abroad programs and volunteering opportunities, will be mitigated through collaboration with external providers.
Ethical Impact
To provide international education programs that support the education, conservation, and social development of isolated communities by assisting local institutions in sustainably handling the human-environmental intersection.
What We Do
We strive to help establish ecological sustainability and social stability in our host communities by applying thoughtful assistance and expertise to local needs – financed by educational travel programs.
How We Do It
1. We offer volunteer opportunities in conservation, education, and social development, that provide our participants with life changing experiences, and our local partners with funding, expertise, and human power on site.
2. We offer study abroad programs in which students spend up to three months studying the local environment and learning the local culture.
3. We develop and implement outreach projects with local institutions that address pressing conservation, education, and social development needs via fundraising and grants.
Program Highlights
- Live in a picturesque Cuban coastal community and learn about Cuban culture.
- Participate in a marine conservation community initiative, protecting Cuba's important natural resources.
- Bond with other volunteers, staff, and community members.
- Spend time under the water snorkeling.
- Explore Cocodrilo and Cuba's Isle of Youth--a truly hidden treasure!
Related Programs
Questions & Answers
Alumni Interviews
These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.
Location
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island and has a long history with the United States. Cuba, regardless of their past, has a very colorful presence today; from their classic cars to the boldly colored houses, you can feel the island atmosphere everywhere you go.
Response from Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI)
Thank you for the positive feedback, Alex! It's true as a volunteer in Cocodrilo, you'll see firsthand the exciting marine conservation initiatives and be able to participate in them. I can speak for the community members when I say they loved getting to know you! And since you've been there, the chef has really expanded the option for vegetarians. You were probably one of the first vegetarians Cocodrilo has seen (!) but now the chef can accommodate all restrictions--from vegetarians to vegans.