Project Ideas and Collaborations
This is a list of things that we would like to do in the future, on our own or in collaboration with others. If there’s something on this list that interests you, contact us at [email protected].
Make Your Own Coloring and Activity Book Workshop
We’ve done this workshop and it’s really fun. We even developed a workbook that participants can use. Coloring and activity books are great educational tools for kids and youth. You can make them about any theme, like nature, heritage or culture. The workshop is good for older youth and adults. It works well as a half-day workshop, but could be done in a longer or shorter format.
Oral History Workshop
Oral histories are a powerful tool for documenting and preserving culture and heritage. We have recorded dozens of oral histories and developed a number of books that feature oral histories. The workshop includes: an introduction to oral histories, hands on interview practice, and an introduction to recording tools.
Oral History Program
We would love to collaborate on a program to record oral histories on an ongoing basis, and share them with the public in book, audio, or video form. An oral history program is great for organizations that work with seniors. It can also be a great opportunity to make intergenerational connections between youth and seniors.
Children’s Book Collaborations
We are interested in working with local artists and authors on children’s books, particularly ones that highlight St. Martin heritage, culture, and nature. For projects that we don’t have the capacity to work on directly, we may also be able to offer advice about publishing and help authors and artists network with each other.
Poetry and Literary Collections – Writing Workshops
We are interested in helping produce poetry and literary collections by St. Martin authors. We would also be interested in participating in a program that includes writing workshops to develop material for collections of work around specific themes from emerging writers.
Heritage Documentation and Digitization
We are interested in projects of heritage documentation and digitization. We can digitize books, journals, photos, negatives, slide film, VHS, audio cassettes, vinyl records, and more. We are interested in digitizing materials that could be shared with the public, but are also happy to digitize personal materials for private use by the owner.
Book: Trees for Me and My Island
A book featuring 20 native trees from St. Martin that would be great to plant in your backyard or neighborhood. The book would explain how the trees benefit people (fruit, shade, etc.) and how they benefit the island (nectar for insects, fruits for birds, etc.). The book would also recommend where and how to grow them, the amount of space they need and the conditions they prefer.
Biodiversity Studies
We are interested in participating in studies of the natural heritage of St. Martin. We have participated in a variety of surveys and assessments of plants and animals. We also have knowledge of many of the island’s unique ecosystems and habitats, both on land and in the sea.
Educational Games for Kids
We are interested in developing educational games for kids. Some ideas include sets of memory cards featuring local wildlife, or heritage art. Other games could include matching young animals with their adult version.
Activities for Adults and Seniors
We are interested in developing a set of prompt cards for oral histories or simply to engage seniors in conversations about their life. These could be a useful tool for intergenerational oral history projects. We are also interested in prompts or activities for adults with developmental or mental health issues.
Recipe and Food Traditions Book
We are interested in developing books that combine recipes and oral histories about food traditions.
St. Martin Music Book
We are interested in developing a book about music, recordings and musicians on St. Martin. We anticipate this book would be developed through oral history recording.
Exhibitions of Heritage Themed Art or Photography
We are interested in developing exhibitions and companion books of St. Martin art or photography with a heritage focus.
Senior Photo Portraits
We are interested in collaborating with photographers to take portraits of seniors. It can be primarily for the benefit of the seniors, but could also be combined with oral history projects.
Short Films
We are interested in collaborating on short films related to St. Martin nature, heritage and culture topics.