This is the first in a series of blog posts by virtual service learning intern, Nicole Flohr. Organized in partnership with Amizade, Dolomit hosted Nicole for an 8-week internship program focused on marketing and outreach. She is an alumna of Lebanon Valley College and will be starting a graduate program at Binghamton University in fall 2021. If you are interested in serving as an intern, reach out to Nick Grimes at nick.grimes@amizade.org or Juri Bottura at juri.bottura@dolomit-learning.it.
In February 2020, Dolomit was celebrating a successful program with a group of Canadian students. At the end of the week, Juri and Manola organized a community event to exhibit the students’ experience. They were surprised and pleased by the number of local Italians who attended the event and expressed curiosity about Canada. This intercultural engagement and connection is what Dolomit is all about.
As lockdowns, travel restrictions, and other hardships arose from the pandemic, Juri and Manola found themselves drawn back to the happy memory of that last in-person event. It motivated them as they adapted their programming and found new ways to make an impact both locally and internationally.
While this past year has looked very different for Dolomit, especially without any in-person student engagement, Juri and Manola have still been hard at work.
Offering Virtual Service Learning Programs in Collaboration with Amizade
First, in partnership with the fair trade learning organization Amizade, Dolomit has been hosting virtual service learning opportunities for college groups in the United States. Dolomit has contributed to a video project, guest lectured on sustainability, and connected groups with local community partners in Italy such as Comunità Frizzante and Lavarone Outdoor Learning. During these virtual service learning experiences, students learn about sustainability and climate change in Trentino and the Alps before completing projects connected to the material. For example, a group from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign wrote a report on the environmental impacts of study abroad and tourism. Similarly, students from Sacred Heart University analyzed Dolomit’s programming and suggested ways to improve its services sustainably.
Contributing to Other Academic Projects
Second, Dolomit has been consulting on other academic projects with Paul Smith’s College and Gonzaga University Florence. Juri acts as a local expert and facilitator for Paul Smith’s EST 330: Protected Landscapes and Community Sustainability course. After learning about the Giudicarie Valley from Juri, students analyzed sustainable tourism and presented their findings to community partners in May. Juri has also shared information about Alpine Italy and a traditional recipe with staff and alumni of Gonzaga University Florence. Dolomit often hosts students from the Florence program on weekends, so his presentation shared some stories and content about such opportunities.
Growing Local Networks and Community
Third, Dolomit has been building connections with local partners that will strengthen the community and provide new opportunities for student engagement. Juri tutored a group of participants in the “TourNat – The Future of Tourism in Natural Areas” international lab organized by the Trentino School of Management and the OECD Trento Center for Local Development.
Dolomit is also helping to plan and execute the first Rural Commons Festival in Trentino. This outdoor lab and conference is exploring the concepts of rural commons and collective resource management from a multi-disciplinary perspective over three consecutive weekends.
Finally, Juri and Manola are helping to develop new local projects, working on grant applications and project proposals. They are working with public institutions and associations in the Giudicarie Valley to promote community tourism and traditional commons, as well as on the Lavarone Outdoor Learning initiative to promote educational and recreational activities in the mountain municipality of Lavarone.