By Elizabeth Benson | Project Leader
We are thrilled to share that our beekeeping initiative has entered a transformative new phase: the birth of our Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program. This quarter, we launched a series of intensive workshops to begin training a new cohort of "Promoters", or local leaders dedicated to spreading sustainable meliponiculture (stingless beekeeping) throughout their communities and beyond.
For beekeepers already practiced in the technical aspects of hive management and honey harvesting, these workshops focused heavily on leadership and community facilitation. The most inspiring aspect of these workshops is that the teaching was led by our very first class of project graduates! Our veteran promoters helped the new cohort gain confidence in public speaking and engagement practices, strengthening their interpersonal tools to support new capacity builders through the challenges of starting to work with native bees. By prioritizing these peer-to-peer skills alongside technical training, we are building a resilient network of advocates who can protect the Amazon’s pollinators for years to come.
Voices from the Field
One of our new promoters, Lesley, shared her perspective on the transition to educator:
“I'm excited to become a promoter to teach in other communities. As a beekeeper, I know how to raise bees and harvest honey, so I want to teach in other places. I liked the workshop because I am learning so much from the trainers”.
Wilson, one of our original promoters who began training years ago, shared his experience with the incoming cohort:
“At first I was nervous about speaking in front of others. Now I'm more confident, and when I go to other communities to teach workshops, I'm already prepared. As a promoter I’ve learned to speak in public, give hands-on lessons, design capacity building workshops, write reports, and manage activity funds.” Wilson is passing on his knowledge to grow the team of local educators.
To date, our original group of 8 promoters has trained and empowered more than 30 communities in 7 river basins in collaboration with 7 different institutions! With this budding new cohort of 10 additional promoters, we expect that impact to increase long into the future. Thank you for standing with us and the beekeepers! Your support makes this chain of knowledge possible!
By Elizabeth Benson | Project Leader
By Elizabeth Benson | Project Leader
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