International Service Learning in Jamaica

This program is provided by

Location

Jamaica: Rural Areas

Description

Located in the Parish of St. Thomas, this program focuses on international service learning, diversity, and pro-poor development. Students take two integrated, interdisciplinary courses that combine academic readings and discussions with experiential learning. Students meet as a group four afternoons a week and spend three days a week in the field. They all explore the history, culture, socio-economic development, and formal and non-formal (community-based) education in Jamaica, while also learning what it means to be a global citizen in their chosen field. Field projects vary depending on the needs of community-based partner organizations as well as the interests and skills of the students. Students also have the opportunity for in-depth study that focuses on the issues this integrated learning experience opens up for each of them.

Highlights

Past participants have come from a variety of fields including the social and behavioral sciences, education, organizational development, counseling, public health, and agriculture. They have worked with womens cooperatives; students, counselors, and teachers in pre-primary and primary schools, as well as a school for pregnant teens; and agricultural extension agents. They have explored gender issues, alternative energy, conflict and violence, fair trade marketing, sustainable agriculture, art education, school discipline, as well as their own roles in creating a more equitable world.