Trained guides are the focus of the Gear Tips program – 03/28/2024 – É Logo Ali
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With the increase in demand for activities in nature and, especially, trails and mountains in recent years, training guides who not only take people along paths that are not always easy, but mainly are capable of responding to possible emergencies and respecting the spaces covered is a quite a challenge — considering that what there is most out there is voluntarism and informality. And it was with this niche in mind that Gear Trips, an education startup focused on this segment, launched the Capacitar Program, which aims to technically improve guides, drivers, leaders or instructors.
According to Pedro Lacaz Amaral, chemical engineer, founder and CEO of Gear Tips, awarded by the International Federation of Climbing and Mountaineering (Uiaa) for the gas cartridge recycling project, the initial idea of the program was “to create a seal of quality for guides, drivers, instructors and tour operators”.
The first courses implemented were Orientation and Navigation, Minimum Impact Techniques (Leave no Trace) and First Aid in Remote Areas (Wafa), always based on ABNT NBR ISO 21102 standards – Adventure Tourism – Leader – Personnel Skills and ABNT NBR 15398 – Long Course Walk – Leader.
It is worth mentioning that certifications of this type exist in the main adventure destinations in the world, with lists of guides suitable for the most diverse activities. Creating a directory of this type here can save tourists new to nature sports a lot of headaches, if not having their own head broken by falling into the hands of a guide ignorant of the basic precautions for each environment.
“We want to make consumers of these services aware of the importance of hiring guides who know how to apply first aid, who know navigation techniques and are aware of the importance of causing minimal impact wherever they go”, explains Amaral. To date, 27 guides have already been trained by the courses, but the idea is to multiply this number by promoting training of instructors at different levels to expand the scope.
“We are closing an agreement with the North American company Leave No Trace”, he says “to bring to Brazil a level 2 instructor course, of which there are few in Brazil”. The proposal, adds Amaral, is “to carry out, in the second semester, a course for 10 to 12 new level 2 instructors, who can in turn train level 1 instructors and expand training with minimal environmental impact”.
The guide’s training in Leave no Trace, says Amaral, includes a two-day immersion to show students “how much they don’t know about the importance of the topic.” And no, it’s not enough to take your pet bottle away, the minimum impact practice involves details that may seem irrelevant in isolation, but that accumulate in nature, such as the disposal of organic waste, avoiding collecting plants and capturing animals from the environment or even avoid using non-biodegradable personal hygiene products in waterfalls and waterways.
But, as not everything is simple in the universe of good intentions, Amaral says that one of the main challenges he faces is “obtaining resources to train the greatest number of people”, for which he relies on his contacts with partners in the segment. But there is another more delicate aspect, which is to make “the professionals themselves understand the importance of these trainings”.
“To give you an idea”, he points out, “even with some free classes, we had difficulty getting enrollees, which shows that many professionals still do not see the relevance and difference that training can bring to their services”. What will help change this neglect, she highlights, “is pressure from those who hire them.”
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