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Learning Expedition in Belize - Environmental Studies, Indigenous Cultures, Rainforest Botany  
August 3 - August 24th, 2020  

Topics, Highlights:

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  • Academic and experiential immersion 

  • Environmental Studies and Indigenous Culture practices  

  • Hands-on Projects in collaboration with local people 

  • Garifuna and Mayan Cultures, projects together

  • Music performances 

  • Rainforest expeditions

  • Water activities

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Travel Style: 

  • Communal lodging 

  • Cabins and home-stays 

  • Sleeping bags required 

  • Physical mobility required

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Program Type: 

  • Academic, community service

  • Small group, 15 people max

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Age Requirement: 18+

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Day to Day Schedule:

Days 1-7 (Mon. Aug 3rd - Sun, Aug 9th) - We land in Guatemala and travel to Punta Gorda, Belize, where we will stay for the next seven days.

  • Opening night, introductions, meeting local teachers and community 

  • Lectures, sessions and projects surrounding the topics of environmental issues and disturbances specific to sea shores and broad-leaf tropical forests of Belize and sustainable solutions 

  • Interviews of local Garifuna people. Collection and recording of data about plants, planting, traditional adaptive management of endangered species and conservation methods

  • Field work in the community garden of Wagiya Foundation based on the action plan developed

  • Drum lessons and rattle making at the Garifuna Drum School

  • Snorkeling and Beach time

  • Visiting local farmers and gardeners 

  • Mindfulness circles, reflecting on plant-human connections

  • Local music performances

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Days 8-11 (Aug 10th - Aug 13th) - We move to Seine Bight 

  • Field work. Restoration of the degraded shores, planting mangroves and other shore-repairing species

  • Collaborating with local youth, hands-on projects together

  • Meeting with town mayor, town council and youth to develop a plan for ecologically and economically sustainable future of Seine Bight

  • Participating in local festivals and talent shows

  • Creative projects with local kids

  • Exploring local culture, towns and beaches

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Days 12-21 (Fri, Aug 14th - Sat, Aug 22nd) - Expedition up Columbia River to Maya Mountain Research Farm, San Pedro Columbia, Toledo District. We will stay at the cabins of Maya Mountain Research Farm

  • Exploring Columbia River by boat and Visiting Maya villages

  • Hiking the hill to the Eladio Pop food forest and cacao groves

  • Permaculture lessons and field studies

  • Learning about sustainable solutions that have been implemented by the Maya Mountain Research Farm, researching and planning replicability and further development

  • Collaborations with local and international students, exchanging skillset

  • Presentations, journaling, reflections

Why Belize:

Belize is a home to magnificent broadleaf rainforests and aquatic ecosystems. Stretching from the Maya Mountains to coastal mangroves, Belize provides a crucial connective corridor within the Mesoamerican Biological area. Threats to Belize include disappearance of indigenous knowledge, unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation, excessive burning, deterioration of sea shores, riverbanks and coral reefs. In response, we are teaching sustainable alternatives and offering hands-on practicums that provide educational value and practical skill-set to students,  and benefit to the Belizean ecosystems and indigenous communities. 

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Academic/Community Service Credit

Organized in cooperation with the Wagiya Foundation of Belize, the program offers English-taught course in the format of a 10-day module with 45 contact hours or 45 community service credits that focus on:

  • environmental studies 

  • sustainable management of natural resources and watersheds based on indigenous practices 

  • human-plant relationships 

  • special emphasis on the adaptive management of rainforests, landscape restoration, medicinal ethnobotany and conservation of tropical plants  

The course is taught by PdD level professors and reforestation experts, along with traditional Garifuna doctors, to allow for a full-range comparative learning perspective.  Extensive field study trips to Punta Gorda, Seine Bight village and local farms are included to give students immersive hands-on experiences.

 

45 contact hours offered by the Program can be applied to qualify for up to 3 academic credits with students' schools. Alternatively, students who prefer less academic and more hands-on experience will earn up to 45 community service credits. Antinanco Earth Arts School welcomes the opportunity to work cooperatively with schools seeking to grant academic credit for study abroad and internships. Students are encouraged to initiate arrangements for credit with their colleges and universities. Antinanco Earth Arts School does not grant academic credit.    

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Click Here to Access Academic Credit Syllabus 

Scholarships and Financial Considerations:

Students can apply for scholarships directly through Antinanco Earth Arts School. Awards are made based on need and/or merit and typically range from $200 to $500. Students may begin the scholarship application process while your application is under review. Scholarship applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will continue to be reviewed while funds remain available.

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One $500 Scholarship will be awarded to a student of Garifuna descent 

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TUITION

$2,500 

Includes meals, board, instruction, classes, field trips, airport and in-country transfers. *airfare is not included

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Application Fee: $65

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APPLICATION

Click here to apply

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Interviews are conducted in November 2019-January 2020.

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TERMS

First tuition payment of $1,500 is due by January 1, 2020. The remaining balance is due by February 1, 2020.  Payments are not refundable after February 1st, 2020.

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Participants are encouraged to obtain trip cancellation insurance prior to the trip.

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Travel medical insurance will be provided by Antinanco Earth Arts School.

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