“A tree cannot stand without its roots.” African Proverb
About
Green Team International was founded in 2013 as an outgrowth of the ecotourist site, St. Mary’s Peace Farm. Our mission is to empower people in North America, the Caribbean, the African Diaspora and the world in matters concerning education and the environment through community-based grassroots initiatives.
Scholarships
Green Team International has 2 scholarship programs:
1) scholarships to students seeking tertiary education (university and/or trade schools) with a commitment to the environment
2) scholarships to students in our affiliated schools in the parishes of St. Mary and Portland in Jamaica who are entering secondary school
Green Team’s Tenth Anniversary Conference June 2024
Green Team International gathered together stakeholders from our networks all over Jamaica, the Caribbean, the US and the UK to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our official founding.
Presentations were given by scholars, farmers, Green Team scholarship winners, poets and others around the themes of education, heritage, community and the environment. A good time was had by all and it was an opportunity to share a variety of viewpoints on physical, environmental, mental and spiritual wellness. There was a lot of hope expressed under the tents overlooking the sea at Rose Garden, Long Bay in the parish of Portland, Jamaica. Awards were given to local heroes for their commitment to the environment and some of our oldest community partnerships in Jack’s River, St. Mary were in attendance. Our international guests from the UK, US and St. Vincent also gave great presentations and enjoyed linking and networking with like-minded souls. Finally, on the second day of the conference, we engaged in acts of service to the community including a beach clean up, river training and mentoring in the local library. Our parting words: Restore, Reclaim and Repurpose!
We look forward to meeting again next June 2026.
Scenes from GTI Conference
More scenes from GTI’s conference:
New Initiative
Rose Garden Peace Institute
In these troubled times, The Rose Garden Peace Institute is a place to mediate and to solve conflicts both local and global. As Board members of the 10-year-old NGO Green Team International, we have demonstrated our commitment to peace through our initiatives to protect our environment and to support young people in pursuit of their educational goals.
Who We Are
We are people of color born in Jamaica but with lived experiences in Europe, North America and Africa who individually and together have mediated many conflicts in the places and spaces we have lived and worked over several decades. We are ultimately concerned with leaving a better foundation and future for young people and those yet unborn.
See here (https://greenteaminternational.org/rose-garden-peace-institute/) for more information
Heritage and Environment Tour
Our local partner, Jack’s River Primary School winning a national award for environmental stewardship
Arresting Climate Change
Beach Clean up
Thank you to the October Hill Foundation for your generous support.
IN MEMORIAM
Mr. Maxwell “Tall T.” Wilson, Principal of Jack’s River Primary School, was a leader of the kind needed in the 21st century. This is an era of climate change, environmental concerns, issues of food security, a pandemic, and problems in the educational system. Yet this tall man, a man of big ideas, impressed his students, his colleagues, the parents, and all stakeholders with a zeal and commitment which was sacred. He was a consummate teacher who addressed the student as a whole person. He nurtured students as he supported the school garden which provided food for them and others in Jack’s River, Oracabessa. When the pandemic struck, he helped to organize and deliver needed food packages that utilized supplies provided by Green Team International.
He led by example and with the understanding of rural Jamaica in which he grew up. He was committed to the development of students and staff and his community and demonstrated vision. He managed to integrate and provide a comprehensive response to the challenges they faced. He will be sorely missed but we shall plant trees in his memory and he will never be forgotten, His students will no doubt carry the baton he has passed to them and will shine wherever they go. For his family, we send our love and prayers.
Dr. Hilary Robertson Hickling, Green Team International Board Member
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