Classes
Participants enroll in a student facilitated ASB Class for Pass/No Pass credit through SESP during Winter Quarter 2011. All enrolled students participate in a related service learning trip with their class during spring break. Students will have the opportunity to raise money for their trips, so final trip prices will fall within the given range
Childhood Poverty and Development - Ecuador - Between $1,300 and $1,400
Ecuador Volunteer is a non-profit organization that connects volunteers to social, community, educational, healthcare and ecological projects/programs throughout Ecuador. On this trip, participants will get a chance to work with youth poverty and development in Quito, Ecuador. The volunteer work will involve opportunities to work directly with children affected by poverty on a daily basis. In doing so, we hope to make a difference in the lives of many kids and we seek to explore and learn about the issues of youth poverty and youth development. In addition, participants will live with host families for the week and go on several excursions to learn more about the culture in Ecuador and in our local village.
Status of Women: Road to Empowerment - Costa Rica - Between $1,300 and $1,400
Our trip will be based in the beautiful town of Atenas, Costa Rica! After spending the first day touring the city, we will spend each day looking at a different area of work being done in the field of Women's Empowerment. We will be visiting and volunteering at a women's shelter, a nutrition center, a local clinic, and a women's business cooperative. The group will also get to experience the local culture firsthand, as we will be housed and fed by homestay families, with 2-3 people in each house. And since Costa Rica is one of the most developed Latin American nations, the homes are clean and fairly comfortable, comparable to a Western standard. By then end of our trip, we hope to have not only made a difference in Costa Rica, but to also have a better understanding of women's issues that are relevant in the world today.
Child Poverty and Community Development - Belize - Between $1,500 and $1,600
We will be working at the Care Center, an orphanage in Belize near Belize City that has a nursery school for their children, as well as the local children of the community. All of the children at the Care Center have been abandoned, abused or orphaned and many have disabilities, special needs or are HIV positive. The teachers and staff focus on working with each child to develop confidence, independence and a desire to learn. Children 'learn through doing' and work in an environment of mutual respect and co-operation which aims for the development of the whole child. Teaching assistants are needed since there is a shortage of paid staff. More and more children have been arriving each year since the school opened in 2006. Volunteer tasks include teaching English, reading story books, creating fun educational games, accompanying the children during possible field trips and helping the local staff in any means possible. Teaching experience is not necessary, but a pro-active spirit is required. The Winter Quarter class leading up to this trip will concentrate on Child Poverty and Community Development and aim to prepare participants to take full advantage of their experiences at the Care Center. Specifically, we will discuss topics such as Asset-Based Community Development and sustainability while evaluating recent global attempts to alleviate child poverty.
