A St. Croix program that connects young people with older local culture-bearers has received international recognition through a National Geographic eco-tourism award.

"Natural Mentors: V.I. Youth Heritage Exchange Farm Excursions" was one of 10 top winners at the second annual Geotourism Change Summit at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.

The farm excursion program, operated by the V.I. Sustainable Farm Institute, focuses on how tourism product development can go beyond direct benefits, such as jobs and service contracts.

According to the projects application for the award, “Departing from the traditional tourism model, where the needs of the tourist come first, Natural Mentorss first focuses on relevant needs of the host population's cultural survival through hands-on workshops that center on traditional nature-based lifestyle skills, organic food production, and cultural mentoring .… It is structured to provide an interactive element for visitors where they can take part in this cultural mentoring process.”

The Natural Mentors program was one of only two U.S. programs to make the summit's top 10.

More than 600 projects were entered from 81 different countries. Top honors went to programs in Costa Rica, Cambodia and Spain. Rounding out the top 10 with the U.S. Virgin Islands, were projects from Mongolia, Canada, India, Philadelphia and Brazil.

Some 200 people attended the summit from Feb. 2 through 5, hearing from speakers and attending workshops on geotourism and other new trends in sustainable travel.

“The forces of globalization are making one destination look much like the next one,” said Jonathan Tourtellot, director of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations. “The Summit honored those who have not bowed to cookie-cutter mass tourism — in fact, they are offering the most authentic experiences possible.”