The study abroad students have set up a GoFundMe site for Sistema de Orquestas de Guatemala. Observing the directors and conductors of this organization work with these young students was one of the musical and pedagogical highlights of this trip. They are housed in a neighborhood that presents undue danger for the children. They would like to move nearby to a more safe space and need the funding to do so. Please click to donate.
We believe that at the heart of the Western Strategic Mission lays the call for community building. Whether focusing on local, national or international outreach, knowledge creation and impact begins with the connections we make with each other and the potential for educational and social change they portend. The project aims to develop short-term study abroad opportunities for students at Western. It embraces the rationale and furthers several of the action goals of the Strategic Mission, in particular those aimed at:
Partnering with an international institution and community, offering experiential “real-world” learning opportunities that occur beyond campus, providing both teaching and learning experiences, and engaging and working with the indigenous peoples and cultures. On this journey, Western students will interface with the resilience of several underserved and disenfranchised communities, and will be presented with drastic class distinctions, clearly visible in parts of Guatemala. When traveling to the Universidad del Valle Guatemala's southern campus, where over 90% of both students and Professors are from indigenous backgrounds, students will have first-hand encounters with individuals and communities much like the First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations of Canada. This study abroad program would not have been possible without the support of the International Curriculum Fund and the guidance of Julie McMullin and her wonderful staff!
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