Guatemala Program – Trip during Winter Break 2012-13
Arrupe International Immersion Program
The Guatemala trip is Trip Destination: Guatemala, Central America. Participants spend time in Guatemala City, the capitol, as well as smaller towns and rural parts of the country. |
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The Center for Global Education Philosophy: The pedagogy of all programs encourages an interdisciplinary approach to learning in which the content and process are strongly interrelated. Participants are both teachers and learners, engaged in a continuing interplay between action and reflection. The method is participatory, problem-posing and experiential. Participants are invited to consider both theory and application in the context of their own experience. Guatemala Trip Itinerary: The B.C. Guatemala delegation travels to Guatemala where program participants collaborate with long-time in-country partner, the Center for Global Education, in creating their immersion experience. Guatemala is a beautiful country with a tragic history, including a 36-year civil war, 1960-96, whose effects still resound today. The Center for Global Education designs the trip’s itinerary and coordinates each day’s activities, which include meetings and conversations with representatives of the Church, the government, political parties, and non-governmental organizations involved with and committed to human rights and land rights, globalization and trade, sustainable agriculture and development, post-war transition and reconciliation, as well as health and education and other topics. While learning about macro-level social, economic, political and religious issues from various perspectives, participants have the opportunity to learn first hand about the joys and struggles of people impacted by policies and situations beyond their control. Participants also spend time in both San Lucas Toliman, a small town in the central highlands, and stay with wonderful families in Santa Anita, a rural community in the western part of the country, learning about projects inspired by Guatemalans who live in these regions, involving coffee production and processing, land appropriation, reforestation, etc. Exploring Faith: Prayer, reflection, journaling, and sharing with each other are core aspects of this experience before, during, and after the trip. While Arrupe programs are open to people of any faith tradition, they are influenced by the Catholic tradition, and Catholic liturgies are a part of the experience. Each participant is expected to participate in this aspect of the experience, share about her/his faith, in all of its joys and struggles and questions, and to explore how faith, and the gifts they have been given, connect to living in solidarity with all people, especially those who experience marginalization. Living Simply: During a trip, participants are expected to embrace “living simply.” Part of what this means is eating food that may not be familiar or plentiful, sleeping in beds or other places that are less comfortable than what might be accustomed to, getting dirty, bathing rarely, experiencing limited personal space, and possibly getting sick. Participants also may find themselves in situations that could instigate allergies, or not be able to accommodate dietary preferences, etc. Another aspect of the notion of “living simply” involves exploring our society’s and each of our own consumerist tendencies, and what this means regarding living a life with and for others.Time Commitment: Participation in an Arrupe program involves a year-long commitment including preparation for and follow up after the immersion trip. This commitment involves participating in weekly Small Community meetings, a pre-trip and post-trip retreat, several presentations, a few Catholic liturgies, a number of fundraising events and activities, and pre-trip and post-trip social justice awareness-building and community service projects. Expect this commitment to be about 5 hours a week, with retreats and the point drive week requiring additional hours. (Please note the “important dates” associated with the program.) Language Proficiency: Although being able to speak Spanish is useful while on the trip, participants do not need to be able to speak any language other than English to participate. The Center for Global Education provides Spanish-English language interpretation throughout the whole trip experience. Safety and Health: Before applying for an Arrupe program, each potential participant and his/her family need to be aware that there are many health and safety risks associated with traveling to the destinations visited through this program. Please check the U.S. Department of State’s assessment of traveling to these destinations http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html, the Center for Disease Control’s assessment of traveling to these destinations http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx, and consider your own physical and emotional/psychological/mental health before applying. Should you end up participating in an Arrupe program, you will need to continue to check these websites for updates, as these assessments may change before an Arrupe trip departs. The Center for Global Education Safety Statement: “The Center for Global Education places the safety and security of students and participants as our highest priority. Consequently we have successfully and safely run programs for the past 30 years and will not hesitate to cancel or reroute programs if needed, to secure the safety of students and travel seminar participants. Our study abroad office subscribes to alerts from places like the US State Department and is a member of networks that share any relevant information. But perhaps our most important way of monitoring potential safety risks, is the fact that we have staff in every country where we do programming who keep up-to-date with local news, and are able to monitor safety at a local level and can immediately discourage us from continuing programming if any threats exist. In addition, students and program participants are provided with very specific guidelines to follow as their personal responsibility in reducing risk and they will be immediately notified of any heightened risk to their safety and security. Staff continually monitor the situation to ensure the safety of students and travel seminar participants.” |
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