My name is Raúl Castro-Dean, and I love birds!

In 2024, I won an ABA Young Birder of the Year Silver Medal for leading a birding workshop for students in rural Guatemala. Now I am ready to take that project to the next level.

Starting in March, I started volunteering for a year to lead workshops and build an after-school birding club at the New Dawn Middle School in Guatemala.

And I am asking you to make a monthly pledge of $20 or more to help me do that.

I’ve loved birds since I could barely talk. Throughout my childhood and teens, I received tremendous benefit from young birder programs. Many adult birders voluntarily gave their time to help me learn and improve my birding skills. Now, at age 20, I am ready to give back by providing mentorship to young birders and conservationists in Guatemala.

This spring, I started birding classes for 7th, 8th and 9th graders. I am teaching the students how to build bird feeders and use binoculars and am introducing them to the basics of bird ID with Merlin and eBird. I am also working with teachers to create an after-school birding club.

These students have natural ability and enthusiasm, and they’re the ones who will be in the position in the years to come to protect forests (and birds) in the face of the growing climate crisis, by promoting land conservation, ecological agriculture, and ecotourism.

That’s what inspired me to want to spend a whole year working with them, to help nurture a passion for birds that can lead to a life-long commitment to conservation.

I am doing all of this as a volunteer, and I need help to cover my travel and living expenses, as well as necessary educational materials.

Would you be willing to help by pledging $20 or more per month?

If I raise more than needed for those expenses, we will use the remaining funds for a school field trip to the Quetzal Biosphere, so that students can see Guatemala’s national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal.

You will be able to follow my progress on this project through my blog, which will debut in April.