Kiera McGuire

Features Editor

On Thursday, Jan. 23, Wooster faculty, staff and students gathered in The Alley to hear about a summer 2026 TREK offering hosted by Brian and Becky Webb to the South Pacific.

Over winter break, Becky Webb, pathways program coordinator, and Brian Webb, director of sustainability, traveled to the low-lying islands of Fiji and Tuvalu to visit and scout out areas where they could take students for a future TREK. Due to climate change and rising sea levels, Fiji and Tuvalu have begun sinking into the ocean as they lay close to sea level.

The TREK, which will be held on these South Pacific islands for 20 days, will engage students in conversations about religious faith within Tuvalu and how the church acts as a “force for change” in regard to the climate crisis. Some of the other planned activities include hands-on experience; students will complete service projects, including coral planting and organic farming and hearing perspectives from Tuvaluans about sea level rise and personal stories from their time on the island. They will also engage in public forms of communication about advocating for climate justice and the protection of those who live on the islands. 

“Wooster students are going to love this experience,” Becky Webb shared at the presentation. “Since the island is so small, we [Brian and I] met people who are doing things [to make change].”

Tuvalu is the least-visited country in the world, with less than 4,000 visitors a year. Despite this, the archipelago is known for the culture of its people, characterized by an abundance of fish, coral reefs by the lagoon and snorkeling in the ocean around the island.

Fiji, however, is a popular tourist destination within the South Pacific. The population of almost one million provides “unique pockets of culture,” according to the Webbs.

The spark for this trip, according to Brain Webb, started when he heard a question about climate change affecting areas differently around the world: “Are our lives less important than your lives?” Students will explore this question and more during the TREK.

For more information on TREKs, visit https://apex.wooster.edu/additional-treks-in-the-works/ or schedule an appointment at APEX, located in Gault Library.