CIG Puerto Rico Tourism Company September 2019

Certified Interpretive Guide Training Course

September 11 - October 9, 2019
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Instructor: Eliezer Nieves-Ropdriguez
Registration Cost: $279 (Certification is an additional $150)

Puerto Rico Tourism Company, in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), is offering a training course for individuals in the field of Interpretation. It is designed for individuals who deliver interpretive programs or have contact with the public at interpretive sites.

Course Options

There are two options for this course.

Option one: take the course without obtaining certification.   Option two: take the course and add certification as a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG). You will pay an additional fee for certification and you must complete an open book Core Literature Review exam. The CIG lasts four years and comes with a complimentary one year membership. If you are already a member of NAI we will add your complimentary membership onto the end of your current membership.

The CIG Program

The nationally recognized Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) program is designed for anyone in the interpretive field. Whether you’re a new hire, a professional looking to refresh your skills, or beginning a second career, this course will aid you in improving your presentation techniques. The course combines the theoretical foundations of the profession with practical strategies in delivering quality interpretive programming to visitors.

This 32-hour course includes:

  • The history, definition, and principles of interpretation.
  • Techniques on how to make your programs purposeful, enjoyable, relevant, organized, and thematic.
  • How to use tangible objects to connect your audience to intangible ideas and universal concepts.
  • The 3 certification requirements needed to obtain a CIG (open book CORE Literature Review exam, program outline, and 10 minute interpretive presentation).

Texts Used in the Workshop

During this course, the books on interpretation listed below will be mentioned and some of their ideas explored. They are what the open book Core Literature Review exam covers and are useful texts for any interpreter to read. You are not required to purchase these texts for the course and a loaner set of these books will be provided by your instructor during the class for those who choose to add certification. If you would like to buy your own set for use during the class or for your own library, you can order them from NAI’s online store as individual books or as a package and listed under “Core Review Library Package”.  Click here to go to the NAI Store. 

Member Discount: Those choosing to apply for certification will receive a complimentary one year membership to NAI. Memberships will become active within a couple of days of registration and will allow you to purchase course books and other registrations at the discounted member rate. Once memberships become active, you will receive a receipt via email letting you know that you are all setup. Current NAI members will receive a one year extension on their current membership. If you are registering for $0, your membership will become active when you are certified.

 The texts are:

  • Interpreting Our Heritage, by Freeman Tilden (4th Edition, U. of North Carolina Press, 2007)
  • The Gifts of Interpretation, by Larry Beck and Ted Cable (Sagamore Publishing, 2011)
  • Personal Interpretation: Connecting Your Audience to Heritage Resources, by Lisa Brochu and Tim Merriman (National Association for Interpretation, 2015)
  • Interpretation: Making a Difference on Purpose, by Sam H. Ham (Fulcrum, 2013)

About the Instructor

Eliezer Nieves-Rodríguez is a guide interpreter, administrator, planner and certified instructor with NAI. During the last 21 years he has had various work experiences in the area of environmental education and interpretation and heritage, among which the following stand out:

  • Nieves-Rodríguez worked as a Park Ranger Interpreter with the US National Park Service for three seasons in “Denali National Park and Preserve”, Alaska and in “Rocky Mountain National Park”, Colorado.
  • Since 2008 he has taught the community-based environmental and ecotourism interpretation module in the Natural Resources Workshop of the RESERVA Program in Yucatan, Mexico.
  • Since 2002 he has worked as a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
  • He is currently the Education Manager of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, the coordinator for Puerto Rico of Region 3 of the NAI “The Sunny Southeast”, and the Co-coordinator of Project Learning Tree (PLT) for Puerto Rico.

Further Information

For more information about the course, please contact Eliezer Nieves-Rodriguez at rezeile@hotmail.com or call (787)215-7600.

Special Terms and Cancellations

Cancellations must be made in writing and emailed, postmarked, or faxed by August 25, 2019. A nonrefundable processing fee of $50 will be assessed. Emailed cancellations should be sent to registration@interpnet.com. Cancellations cannot be made by phone.

No refunds will be given after August 25, 2019.
When
9/11/2019 - 10/9/2019
Where
Puerto Rico Tourism Company Old San Juan, PR PUERTO RICO
Online registration not available.

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