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Lana: I volunteered at Maya Traditions Foundation Guatemala, as a Development Coordinator.
L: I always wanted to do an international experience during my undergraduate degree, since I did an exchange to France in Grade 10 and loved it. I was super eager when applying to universities, and had already scouted out Beyond Borders as a program that I wanted to take part in at some point in my university career.
L: The Beyond Borders program pairs students up in the term prior to going abroad, so that you have a chance to get to know your travel buddy. I was able to get to know my travel partner Lucie through our pre-departure retreats, local volunteering, and the course (Justice, Peace, and Development) that all program participants are required to take prior to departure. This gave us ample time to get to know each other, so that we were able to support each other throughout our journey.
L: For the most part, I did a lot of communications and fundraising work. This involved a variety of different things, including:
• Updating website pages
• Video editing
• Content creation for blogs, newsletters, and annual reports
• Analyzing programs within the organization
Media Folder: |
Media Folder: |
Media Folder: |
On her days off, Lana had opportunities to climb Indian Nose Mountain, try her hand at the indigenous art of backstrap weaving, and paraglide around Lake Atitlan.
How has this experience been valuable to you?
L: This experience has given me so many things. I grew my knowledge of Spanish language, experienced a new culture, and built skills around cross cultural communication. As well, working with an organization that was very focused on acting in partnership with those they served expanded my appreciation for indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge.
I was also lucky to be in Guatemala during an election. I was able to connect what I had learned about the socio-political history of Guatemala to real events unfolding in front of me.
I really enjoyed the purpose oriented NGO atmosphere. This experience has also sparked an even bigger passion within me to work for other non-profit organizations, doing work that positively impacts people in tangible ways.
Why should students choose to do an international placement within Beyond Borders?
L: Any international experience is going to get you out of your bubble, throw you into unknown situations, and initiate growth. Beyond Borders does a really good job of preparing you for the growth that you are going to experience abroad. This has by far been the best thing I’ve done in my university career and will be something I continue to look back on and reference in conversations for years to come.
I also recognize that traveling is a privilege that I feel very grateful to have been able to do. Beyond Borders recognizes this and thus subsidizes the student experience so going abroad is more manageable. Our program coordinator Michelle is also very helpful at pointing out funding opportunities for international experiences within St. Jerome’s and the University of Waterloo.
You can visit the Beyond Borders website for more detailed information about this program. Feel free to contact Michelle Metzger with any other questions that you have, or if you are interested in applying in the future!
This post was developed with the assistance of Lana S. and Michelle Metzger.
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