Canadore College and Twiggs Coffee Roasters are partnering with an organization in Costa Rica to sell coffee.
This after a delegation of Canadore students went to the Central American country on a business and cultural learning experience.
The college and Twiggs are working with Green Communities, an organization that hosts volunteer groups from around the world and specializes in converting conventional coffee farms into organic, ecological farms to protect the rainforest.
Along with learning about Costa Rica’s culture and history, Canadore’s delegation also visited an area that is considered a place where the healthiest people live, participated in an Indigenous cultural experience and volunteered with a project that helps to protect the rainforest.
“The relationship that is evolving in Costa Rica is rooted in many years of friendship and leadership, including that of team members from Canadore who have moved on to different roles in different organizations, and we thank them,” said Shawn Chorney, Vice President Strategic Infrastructure, Indigenous and Learner Services. “This connection reflects the foundational elements of the projects we are working on and will ensure that the outcomes of our efforts are truly rooted in supporting generational change, leaving a lasting and sustainable positive impact on people and the environment.”
Wendy Lickers-Lapierre, a second-year practical nursing student from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, says it was a great chance to see and experience another culture.
“I was also excited because I thought that I could learn so much from this by talking to the elders about how things were done a long time ago,” Lickers-Lapierre says. “I believe that we can learn and heal various ailments using the old ways. It will be interesting to try to combine modern and traditional medicines.”
Nine students and two chaperones took part in the experience, which was supported by the Global Skills Opportunity Fund through Colleges and Institutes Canada.