Make a transformational difference for rural youth in Colombia through informal virtual cultural exchange in English.
Colegio Custodio García Rovira is a high school in Malaga Santander, Colombia, that was founded in 1925. The school has a proud history and a fundamental commitment to the right of education for children, youth, and adults in the region, and the development of the community towards improving quality of life. The school focuses on learning and development of ethical, moral, and social values. The school is committed to the inclusion of children with special needs and provides humanitarian services for those in need, in addition to training students to make humanitarian contributions in the world. Educational preparation also includes science and research, making appropriate and responsible use of technological tools, and other areas of specialization and focus.
Despite these great attributes, our school struggles with challenges associated with limited resources and high poverty experienced by the families of our students. While education represents an important pathway for success and achievement, the students are limited in their exposure to cross cultural-opportunities and interaction with English speakers, which in turn affects their performance on important educational exams and future opportunities.
We are excited to partner with UB students through the ELN Project Portal to develop an informal conversation and cultural exchange program with the following goals and structure:
There are many options for your project outcome, which you can determine with the project mentor. Typically, the best option is to develop a PowerPoint presentation about your experience.
Length of commitment | February 16, 2023- May 4, 2023 |
Start time | February 16, 2023 |
Level of collaboration | Individually within a group of collaborative partners. |
Benefits | Volunteer experience or course credit for those enrolled in SPA 324. |
Who is eligible | All undergraduate students are welcome. Some level of Spanish is preferred, but not required. |
Melissa McCarron
Clinical Assistant Professor of Spanish
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.