Latin America Gap Semester

As communities around the world adapt to changes in climate, culture and globalization, the question of how to manage natural resources in rural areas is more pressing than ever. Maintaining rural livelihoods, slowing rural depopulation, and harnessing natural resources in a responsible manner are challenges that will determine the development trajectory of many countries. In Guatemala, you’ll live with indigenous families to learn the innovative ways rural people are creating economic opportunity while preserving their environment and culture. You’ll work alongside grassroots organizations to see how they balance the needs of people, profit, and planet in their efforts to increase sustainability. Students spend four weeks in the town of San Juan La Laguna, working alongside a women’s weaving co-operative.

Education can empower individuals and communities to improve health and create equity and justice. You’ll investigate how governments, nonprofits, and individuals use education to meet the needs of growing communities. Your group will work to provide support to English teachers in public schools to understand education in rural Costa Rica. You’ll live with local families and learn how parents and their children are affected by education. TBB students work in schools in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, alongside teachers in classrooms as teachers’ assistants. Program Leaders provide the students with some basic workshops on classroom management and lesson prep and hold weekly debrief sessions to help students brainstorm approaches for their classrooms.