In
mid-July, staff at the Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education
Center were honored to entertain a visit from Mamoudou Berete (Kunta), a traveling
professional from Guinea in West Central Africa. He is one of approximately
1,000 Mandela Washington Fellowship participants across the country. The visit
was arranged in partnership with United Way and Rutgers University.
Kunta is the president of Committed Young People for
Sustainable Development and volunteers at the public school as an English
teacher. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, he plans to
continue his work in civic education and environmental protection, while
encouraging people in his community to educate children and promote equal
justice for everyone.
In
discussing the comparative environments of West Central Africa and the eastern
United States, he explained that diamond and gold mining are prevalent in the region
where he lives. He explained that he has experienced first hand the
hazards of mining through the loss of his brother in a mining accident and
witnessing the destruction of the environment all around him with people leveling
trees and digging mines in the middle of roads and towns.
His
belief is that by educating Guinea’s youth they will choose a better life
style than working in the mines and focus more on helping preserve natural
resources. To that end he has created a volunteer organization to educate the
local children and teens in methods of preserving their environment.
Visiting the EEC, he learned about the children and adult
program offerings, research projects, and the trail system, enjoying a
tour of the classrooms and observing Coyote Kids and Eco Explorers summer
programs. Details are in the process of being prepared to conduct a live
Naturalist program utilizing an online video chat between Guinea and Basking
Ridge, New Jersey.
Information
on Somerset County Park Commission programs and activities may be found at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by
calling 908-722-1200.
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