Week Three: From Orientation to Action

This has been a busy transition as we wrapped up orientation and started diving deeper into the work with the Protected Areas Trust. While there’s still plenty for me to learn about the city and its intricacies, I’ve had some insightful conversations with all the people I’ll be working with to gain a better understanding of the organization’s initiatives and how I can contribute meaningfully.

One particularly interesting event this week was the onboarding of a new trustee. It was fascinating to observe how they navigated their introduction to the organization, asking insightful questions from a senior and strategic perspective, while I approached it from a marketing lens. This parallel experience gave me a more well-rounded view of the Trust’s goals and operational landscape. The team here has outlined areas where they’d like my support, but I’m also keen to align my contributions with their strategic objectives, my skill set, and my personal development goals. If you read my first blog post, you’ll remember my three key objectives: strengthening and sharpening my expertise, developing global connections, and understanding the future of storytelling. Balancing these with the trust’s needs will ensure that my work is impactful and sustainable.

The Challenge of Prioritization

One of the key challenges I’ve been tackling is prioritization. Over the past few years, I’ve worked on refining my ability to organize tasks, set realistic goals, and structure work in a way that ensures success. This week has been a great opportunity to put those skills into practice. Given that my time here is finite, I need to determine which projects I can own entirely, which require team collaboration, and what additional support might be necessary. Figuring out how to maximize impact within limited resources of time, money, and people is always a core aspect of marketing and strategy.

Beyond work, I’m also facing the same prioritization challenge in my exploration of Guyana. There are so many incredible places to visit—national parks, rivers, wildlife reserves! But just like in work, I have to be strategic about what’s most meaningful and impactful. At the Trust, this translates to focusing on initiatives that will drive the most awareness, increase donor engagement, and advance key conservation goals.

World Wildlife Day and Community Engagement

March 3rd marked World Wildlife Day, and there were plenty of exciting activities in celebration. The Trust, in partnership with the Protected Areas Commission (PAC), participated in a public event at the Georgetown Zoo. While the PAC handles more of the hands-on conservation work, the trust manages logistics and funding.

At the event, I had the opportunity to meet one of the PAC’s deputy directors, who gave us a deeper look into their conservation efforts. There were booths from various organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other key stakeholders invested in conservation and environmental protection.
For me, this was invaluable — it provided an opportunity to expand my network and make connections beyond my immediate work circle. Understanding how different organizations interact, who the key players are, and how the system functions will be crucial in my ability to contribute effectively. The more I integrate into this network, the better positioned I’ll be to leverage relationships and resources to support the trust’s mission.

The Good, The Challenging, and What’s Next

🤠 The Good: I think I’m starting to find a rhythm—regular workouts, cooking at home, and getting more comfortable with restaurants in the area. It’s nice to feel like I’m settling in a bit.
😱 The Challenging: Navigating buses and taxis is still an adjustment. I’m getting the hang of it, but I need to plan extra time and prepare better for the heat—it’s 28–29°C every day, so small things like bringing a towel and scheduling cool-down time before meetings are helpful. Also, the rain! It rains a lot, so carrying an umbrella everywhere is key.
😎 What I’m Looking Forward To: We’re getting close to planning our first trips to the national parks! That’s probably what I’m most excited about—finally getting out there, meeting the rangers, and seeing firsthand the places we’re working to protect. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we’ll be able to nail down details and start making those trips happen.

That’s it for this week! Let me know how things are going for you, and I’ll catch you in the next update.