We believe in
our mission
PROVIDING AN AUTHENTIC CRUCIAN EXPERIENCE!
Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, Inc. (CHANT) is committed to preserving Crucian culture and heritage and promoting sustainable community development with a focus on tourism, traditional skills, and heritage-focused workforce development.
Focused on this commitment, CHANT has built a network of world-class local tourism providers, created and supports educational outreach programs for schools and the public on Crucian Cultural and Heritage History and the island’s environmental systems, and established and maintains a Crucian Cultural Center.
CHANT is introducing Creative Placemaking in our community by utilizing art in community revitalization and workforce development through the Invisible Heritage: Identity Memory and Our Town project.
The Cultural Center has provided educational programming, art programming, and workforce development training to the youth of Frederiksted and St. Croix. It is available to other community-based organizations for meetings, exhibits, book signings, and art exhibits.
As a member of the St. Croix Foundation Non-Profit Consortium Environmental sector, CHANT supports the protection, conservation, mitigation, and restoration of our island’s natural resources, helping to build environmental and, in turn, community resilience while reconnecting our community with nature.
Preserving & Restoring Our Built Heritage
In our mission to restore and preserve historical architecture, we aim to stem the loss of traditional art forms and address the long-term problems of abandoned and derelict historic buildings in the town of Frederiksted. By developing a local school, the Building Arts Institute, CHANT will provide the education and training necessary for local residents to be eligible for the historic preservation investments planned in the coming years.
Arts and Crafts
Preserving traditional arts and crafts through training and product development. Summer program students explore multiple artistic mediums, and use these mediums to investigate Crucian history, community organizing and social activism.
West End Youth Initiative
Includes three distinct programs. They are the AFRIKA HOUSE After School Re-education program, the CHANT Free Gut Connected Expression Summer Program, and the CHANT Educational Craft Workshop.
Confronting the cumulative trauma endured by the youth of St. Croix resulting from two back-to-back hurricanes and the COVID 19 pandemic, this project is crafted to support and expand creative learning opportunities for the youth of Frederiksted.
Afrika House
Afrika House is a Frederiksted-based organization geared towards the re-education of Frederiksted youth. The organization was established in 2013 with the mission to fill the gaps in the public education system. The focus is on re-establishing the fundamental foundations in core subjects such as Math, English, Science, and History, while incorporating local history and ecology. Afrika House after-school programming also offers tutoring services and special programming for at-risk and special needs children.
Traditional Woodworking
Provides students instruction and training using hand and power tools. The methodology utilizes a series of projects to provide instruction in specific disciplines and the use of particular tools.
