TCP’s volunteer programme is designed with the idea of increasing the working capacity of the TCP and to allow communication links between people of various backgrounds who are able to come up with new ideas, inputs and appropriate suggestions which will help to develop new concepts and thereby to improve the overall future of the project and its respective programmes.
The volunteer programme not only benefits the project outcomes but also the volunteer himself/herself, would gain lots of knowledge and skills on various topics related to the issues of marine and coastal, covering a broad range of ecosystems and habitats. Where it is necessary, volunteers are provided with training by qualified professionals on the above mentioned topics. In addition to this, TCP has many books, reports, newsletters, articles, video tapes and recent publications which are available to the volunteers to use, as well as a substantial collection of photographs taken by various TCP staff members. If the volunteers are interested in doing researches, they have a perfect opportunity do research, with many possibilities and areas still to be examined. If research is not he or she wants to do, then TCP has community based projects, tourism projects and plans for a variety of tastes.
Being a volunteer at TCP offers you a wide range of activities that suit each individual. They may be basically required to perform the following activities,
- Identify all five species of sea turtles that frequently visit the beaches of Sri Lanka.
- Collect biometric data on nesting-turtles and hatchlings
- Tag new migrants
- Be involved in the design of new concepts, strategies and practical implementation of methods to further marine turtle conservation efforts.
- Promote turtle night watch programme.
Currently, the volunteers are engaged various programmes of the TCP, like promoting turtle night watch programme, teaching English to schoolchildren, beach patrolling, conservation activities…………………