New JanPlan trip to Mexico will offer chance to teach
Elisabeth Ponsot
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
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Jim Citron, Director of Off-Campus Study, has joined forces with the Goldfarb Center to generate yet another opportunity to promote student civil engagement: JanPlan in Mexico. As described by Citron, this program will "combine Colby's commitment to and my passion for civil engagement with international education."
As it currently stands, 15 selected students will spend their 2008 January term in the state of Puebla, located in Central Mexico east of Mexico City. Students will explore themes of social justice, privilege, power, and social responsibility through their volunteer work at a Mexican pre-school. Additionally, students will be further immersed in Mexican culture as they will live with local host families in Puebla.
Citron, who has lead 15 similar programs in Mexico over the last 20 years, believes that Colby students will benefit a great deal from this program. Above all, he hopes their time in Mexico will afford them a new life perspective. "Students will find new understandings of themselves, the United States, the relationship between the United States and Mexico, and of course, the richness of Mexican culture," he said.
This JanPlan has been structured to include a prerequisite that students will take in the Fall term of 2007. This class, entitled "Preparation: Mexican Culture, Education, and Civic Engagement," will enable students to prepare for their experiences in January. As Citron explained, "You can't go unprepared and expect to do anything worthwhile... Students with good intentions can do more harm then good if they are not well prepared."
Students selected for this JanPlan will be working directly with members of Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (integral family development), a human service organization in Mexico. D.I.F. works particularly in outlying areas of Mexico that are more marginalized-places where one is less likely to find basic services and where government distrust abounds. The organization trains teachers and provides them with the legal support necessary to begin pre-schools. Their success is then twofold: the organization teaches women professional skills and at the same time provides an educational domain for Mexican children during their critical early years of development.
In accordance with a number of other semester-abroad programs offered by the College, the Jan-Plan in Mexico will additionally include various excursions designed to integrate students into Mexico's diverse culture. Citron noted that he is especially excited for the week-long excursion to the Sierra Norte de Puebla, where students will stay in a removed village called Cuetzalan. On this trip, students will stay in a small and traditional village where the majority of inhabitants speak an indigenous language in lieu of Spanish. Students will participate in cultural visits, and contribute their efforts toward a second civil engagement project in the local Cuetzalan community.
The Office of Off-Campus study is expecting around 40 queries detailing students' interest, from which 15 students will be selected for the program. The office is expected to begin review of the applications on Monday, Apr. 23.
As it currently stands, 15 selected students will spend their 2008 January term in the state of Puebla, located in Central Mexico east of Mexico City. Students will explore themes of social justice, privilege, power, and social responsibility through their volunteer work at a Mexican pre-school. Additionally, students will be further immersed in Mexican culture as they will live with local host families in Puebla.
Citron, who has lead 15 similar programs in Mexico over the last 20 years, believes that Colby students will benefit a great deal from this program. Above all, he hopes their time in Mexico will afford them a new life perspective. "Students will find new understandings of themselves, the United States, the relationship between the United States and Mexico, and of course, the richness of Mexican culture," he said.
This JanPlan has been structured to include a prerequisite that students will take in the Fall term of 2007. This class, entitled "Preparation: Mexican Culture, Education, and Civic Engagement," will enable students to prepare for their experiences in January. As Citron explained, "You can't go unprepared and expect to do anything worthwhile... Students with good intentions can do more harm then good if they are not well prepared."
Students selected for this JanPlan will be working directly with members of Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (integral family development), a human service organization in Mexico. D.I.F. works particularly in outlying areas of Mexico that are more marginalized-places where one is less likely to find basic services and where government distrust abounds. The organization trains teachers and provides them with the legal support necessary to begin pre-schools. Their success is then twofold: the organization teaches women professional skills and at the same time provides an educational domain for Mexican children during their critical early years of development.
In accordance with a number of other semester-abroad programs offered by the College, the Jan-Plan in Mexico will additionally include various excursions designed to integrate students into Mexico's diverse culture. Citron noted that he is especially excited for the week-long excursion to the Sierra Norte de Puebla, where students will stay in a removed village called Cuetzalan. On this trip, students will stay in a small and traditional village where the majority of inhabitants speak an indigenous language in lieu of Spanish. Students will participate in cultural visits, and contribute their efforts toward a second civil engagement project in the local Cuetzalan community.
The Office of Off-Campus study is expecting around 40 queries detailing students' interest, from which 15 students will be selected for the program. The office is expected to begin review of the applications on Monday, Apr. 23.
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