| Service-Learning Programs: Mexico |
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| Online application available via CourseConnect* |
>>Apply Now |
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| "If you have come to help me, you are wasting my time; but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together!" - An Aboriginal Australian |
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| Description of Program: |
| Cholula, Mexico is one of the most diverse and spectacular ecological sites in the world. It is also the poorest state in Mexico. Seventy percent of the state's population is indigenous, with over 40 languages other than Spanish spoken. University students are hosted by Community Links, an organization founded in 2000 which works with community leaders, local governments, families, and other organizations at grassroots, regional, and international levels in order to develop opportunities of encounter and solidarity among people from both hemispheres. |
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| Description of Services: |
| Aquinas students will experience the local, indigenous value of tequio, the Cholulan practice of lifelong community service for the benefit of the common good, while simultaneously guaranteeing individual rights and responsibilities. Aquinas students may also participate in reforestation projects to counter years of land misuse and environmental degradation. In addition, students will meet with community leaders, professors, and other experts to discuss the region's history, challenges, and future. This trip is scheduled for December 30, 2008 - January 8, 2009. |
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| Living Arrangements: |
| The group will stay in a simple guest housing facility. Meals are simple and most food is prepared for the group. Evening reflection and community building is essential to sort out the experiences and insights that each new day brings. There is a possibility of spending a night or more with host families. |
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| Financial Arrangements: |
| The cost for each student is approximately $1,300, which includes airfare as well as room and board for the program. Participants are responsible for their own passports. Immunizations are not included in the cost as they vary depending on one's health insurance. Fundraising and support letters can help provide students with funding for the trip. Individual participants should bring some spending money. |
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| Payment Process: |
| A NON-REFUNDABLE program fee of $1,300 will be charged to your student account. If you are not accepted, the charge will be cancelled. If you are accepted, you will be responsible to pay your program fee through your student account. Note: Even if you withdraw from the program, after being accepted, you are still responsible for the payment. Student Account policies apply to any unpaid balances. |
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| Requirements: |
- Space is limited, and priority will be given to current full-time, traditional age Aquinas students, though graduate students and guests are welcome to apply. (Prices may differ for guests.)
- Enrollment in the 3-credit course, SH/SY 370 offered in the fall semester.
- Online application available via CourseConnect*
- A personal interview.
- A valid passport.
- Attend an orientation meeting.
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*Search for "Service Learning" in CourseConnect or look under "Miscellaneous" |
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| For More Information Contact: |
| Eric Bridge, Coordinator of Service-Learning at (616) 632-2490 or bridgeri@aquinas.edu |
