Lauren Smith DIRTy Work in the Brazilian Amazon

This upcoming January my mentor at Saint Mary's will be leading a group of students on a trip to a community on a nature reserve deep into the Brazilian Amazon. For about three weeks, the class will split their time between manual labor, community building, photo/video documenting, and reflecting. We are going to help the community complete projects, reforest their surroundings, and cook meals for everyone.

This class is the perfect combination of everything in the world I am passionate about. Being able to live and work with an indigenous Amazon community for a month, and make a documentary about it, is a dream come true. It is the perfect opportunity for me to develop as an activist and community leader, while also giving me a hands-on environmental justice experience.


A $2000 deposit is due by September 24th in order to ensure my spot on the trip. On top of the student loans I already have and those to come, this experience is a luxury that I can not afford. Any and every donation to this fund goes directly into the course fee.

Thank you so much for your support, and hopefully this January I will make the journey to Brazil and have the experience of a lifetime!