My experience with the CGEE Central America program is one that I always cherish and appreciate, as it affirmed my desire to pursue social justice and gave me the tools to continue onto a career in human rights in Central America.
I had been interested more broadly in the idea of “Human Rights in Central America” and “Social Justice” for several years prior to studying abroad with CGEE. As a student at Clark University, in Worcester, MA, I devoted my studies to focus on Central American politics and history, to complement my major in “International Development and Social Change”. I found this program so impactful because it transformed my understanding of “development” and “social change” by pulling me out of the classroom to learn from actual people and communities about their lived experiences and their visions of change for their own communities.
After spending years in an institutionalized setting, I appreciated the focus on people first education. It allowed me to strengthen my formalized knowledge on history and politics in Central America but most importantly interact with human beings who lived through what I had read about. By living with host families, I was able to learn and engage in conversations not just in meetings, but every day. These relationships and conversations allowed me to see how US policy adversely affects people and communities and moved me to commit to working to change said policies in my professional career.
This experience gave me a better understanding of my own privileges and how to better work for and with communities in the struggle for social justice. While uncomfortable at certain times, the program forced me to look at the role of my “whiteness” and be self critical of how I take up space and how systems of oppression perpetuate these dynamics in social justice spaces. I now try to carry these lessons with me in my work.
I recommend this program to everyone and anyone interested in learning about transformative social change in Central America. I especially appreciated the one on one Spanish classes that allowed everyone in the group, all coming from many different Spanish levels, to learn at their own pace, feel challenged, and make significant strides in their language acquisition. Not to mention, the incredible dedication of staff to interpret meetings and make all aspects of the program as accessible as possible.
Finally, I built strong bonds and relationships through this program. For example, two of my closest friends came out of this experience. Moreover, several of us from my semester moved on to work in Central American Solidarity and Migrant Justice Organizations, which allows us to coordinate campaigns and continue to work together. I’ve even met CGEE alumni while working in Honduras from other semesters that were also moved by their experiences to do protective human rights accompaniment and human rights advocacy in the region. When considering where to study abroad, I highly recommend the Social Change in Central America program.
