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S T . M I L D R E D ’ S - L I G H T B O U R N S C H O O LColombia: Youth Volunteership and Adventure on a continental scale

2016

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“The belief that all genuine education comes about through experience does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative”.

- John Dewey

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Table of Contents • We Are Envoys• General Objectives• Our Perspective on ServiceLearning• Colombia• Program Partner• Adventure Highligh• Preparatory Courses• Program Itinerary• Post-trip activities• Safety• Price chart• Terms and Conditions

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Envoys is dedicated to expanding the realm of possibility for global education. We collaborate with innovative schools to design, devel-op, and implement comprehensive international programs.

Envoys programs are designed and implemented as a collab-oration between the school and our highly-trained trip leaders, support staff, and curricular team. Upholding our mandate for community development, intercultural understanding, and em-pathy, we partner with carefully selected experts at home and in our destination countries to ensure the highest-quality educa-tional experience.

We are...

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“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

-Helen Keller

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What we do: Students open their minds, hearts, and eyes to the world around them

How we do it: • Students take a series of preparatory

courses that focus on navigating the world around them with empathy and respect. These courses are conducted through a blend of online classes and in-person activities. Envoys pedagog-ical team and St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn faculty work together to ensure the quality and appropriateness of course content. We explore the concept of em-

General Objectives

pathy and assist students to develop in-dividualized lesson plans for improving their empathic skills. Students taking these courses will have a greater sense of personal identity and how their ac-tions impact those around them.

• While in the destination country, we ex-ecute activities that enable students to interact with their peers from other na-tions, as well as community members around them. We provide regular and structured opportunities for students to reflect on their experiences, voice their questions, and discuss their challeng-es.

Envoys believes that objectives must be framed as

outcomes for learning and development.

Delineating these outcomes must come before

any thought is given to the process by which they

will be achieved.

What we do:Students are able to think critically about global issues, and the role they play in an interconnected world.

T W O

O N E

Our objective is never the implementation of a

flawless travel ‘experience.’ Conflating the goal of

an educational program with the means by which

it is achieved is perhaps the most insidious form of

lowering expectations. Instead, we choose to be

judged by how well students learn.

• During the final days on the trip, stu-dents create a plan for sharing their pro-gram with their community back home. This process of summarizing and com-municating learning points ensures that students internalize their experience and make actual change in their lives.

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How we do it:• Working in tandem with Convent of

the faculty, Envoys provides online courses exploring specific topics of global importance relevant to each destination. These courses blend multi-media content with discussion groups and engaging assignments that foster motivation, and frame the trip as a learning experience. Before being allowed to board the plane to Colombia, students are required to demonstrate knowledge of their des-tination, and a plan for learning more during their trip.

• While in the destination country, we challenge students with a mixture of experimental and academic learn-ing opportunities. We utilize frame-

What we do:Students understand the opportunity and responsibility they have to improve themselves and the world.

How we do it:• We develop adventure challenges that

enable students to explore themselves understanding their limits and findign comfort when out of their comfort zones. Ultimately, they understand that they are able of much more than what they thought.

T H R E E

• Students discover the similar hopes, dreams, and fears that constitute the human experience. At the close of the program, we assist students to build ac-tion plans to continue their relationships and share their experiences with their home communities.

• As Maya Angelou wrote, travel “cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends”. These initiatives help students to understand how collaborations across cultures are not simply possible, but a part of our future.

works provided by systems thinking to help students delineate variables and make connections between their observations from traveling and their lives at home.

Service learning has the potential to transform teaching and learning, to develop social responsibility and a strong moral ethic.

To live up to this potential requires a disciplined and thoughtful approach. We categorically

1. Be proposed by our local partners

2. Be essential to improving their operations and/or livelihoods

3. Facilitate collaboration between volunteers and community members

We live in a messy world, and ‘doing good’ is a loaded concept, particularly in international realms. Envoys embrac-es this complexity and seeks to build a deeper understanding in our students of the issues surrounding poverty, interna-tional aid, and charitable work. In par-ticular, we invite the school to join us in implementing the following preparatory processes for this program:

1. Do No Harm AnalysisWorking in partnership with local NGOs and community members, we examine the power dynamics existing within the region. We focus on the impacts of re-source transfers and implicit ethical mes-sages contained within our interventions, taking a critical look at what type of rela-tionship is implied by our potential proj-ects. This approach allows us to carefully assess the potential impact of our work on both the communities and our stu-dents.

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Our Perspective on Service Learning

A L L A C T I V I T I E S M U S T

refuse to engage in activities that contribute to a culture of dependency or a perspective of cultural superiority.

2. Theory of ChangeThe outcomes-based approach maps the assumptions that inform develop-ment programs and projects. We begin by carefully delineating the final over-all outcome of the program, then back-wards-map the intermediate steps and range of actors involved to achieve this end goal. Approaching service program-ming through this holistic perspective helps Envoys and its partners to decide the optimum roles for students to take in the process.

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With Colombia’s turbulent past rapidly receding, the nation is in the midst of a tourism boom. Economic growth, safety, and sta-bility are on the rise in all corners of the country, and international visitors are joyously rediscovering the remarkable diversity and warmth of this traditional Gateway to South America. Envoys has taken thousands of students throughout Colombia, developing strong connections with local communities and allowing us to ex-plore the full range of destinations within the birthplace of “mag-ical realism.”

This program moves students through a Service and Adventure experience, undertaking volunteership projects with with TECHO initiatives on the ground and trekking up to the Lost City..

Envoys has custom-designed a program for the St. Mildred’s - Lightbourn School students to delve into the diversity of ColombiaColombia

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TECHOTECHO is a youth led non-profit organization seeking to overcome poverty through the joint work of families and youth volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean. With operations in 19 countries, TECHO has mobilized more than 500,000 volunteers, to construct houses for more than 86,000 families.

TECHO is convinced that poverty can be permanently erad-icated through the active engagement of society as a whole. Beginning in March, participants engage with TECHO staff in the process of needs assessment and community en-gagement, leading up to travel in early June and continuing with the implementation of sustainable solutions.

Program Partner

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This adventure students a unique opportunity to discover a 1200 year-old treasure while working closely with the Glo-bal Heritage Fund. We trek within Tayrona National Park to the Lost City in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Cove-ring five days and over forty kilometers, we move through what the Kogui consider to be the Heart of the World in the middle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Adventure HighlightTrekking to the Heart of the World

T H E L O S T C I T Y

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Primer on ColombiaStudents review major events in Colombian history, including the recent sociopolitical issues that affect the people today. We consider the impact of violence on Colombian identity and foreign relations and build a basic understanding of the importance of coffee to the nation’s economy. After building a common knowledge base, students select individual top-ics to delve into and report on to their peers.

Preparatory Courses

Travel Health and SafetyAll participants learn about the health risks associated with the destinations as well as methods to enhance physical and situational awareness.

O N E

T W O

T H R E E

Empathy and Cultural CompetencyWe review the importance of developing empathy for a ful-filling life and provide students with a variety of scaffolded exercises by which they can improve their empathic skills. Students also analyze various approaches to understanding culture and prepare themselves for immersion in a new con-text. The concepts introduced during this course integrate with our in-country activities to ensure that the potential gains from international experiences can be fully realized.

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D AY 1ARRIVE IN BOGOTÁ

• Check in at a Hostel

• Full Value ContractDivided into groups, students create a “full value con-tract”, where expectations and roles of each member of the group are aligned. Staff members coordinate ex-pectations of the trip and the roles that each participant should assume.

• Health and Safety BriefingWe introduce the main precautions necessary during the trip to maintain good health and minimize the risk of accidents. All participants are briefed on the protocols to be taken in the event of an emergency.

• Acclimatation Process • Downtown Bogotá• Dinner at local Restaurant

Itinerary

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AFTERNOON

• Lunch (Marcha)• Construction Afternoon – Techo para mi País• Collaboration with Colombian RoundSquare Schools Students• Students get involved in the on-ground operations through a

mass building project conducted by TECHO in a low income neighborhood of the city working in collaboration with their peers from a RoundSquare local school and the beneficia-ries of the project.

• Dinner (El Corral o Archies o Similar)• Reflection

D AY 2MORNING• Breakfast at the Hostel• Transportation to Techo para mi País HQ• Meet with Techo Administrators• Students from both schools (St. Mildreds and Local

RoundSquare School) meet with key staff of TECHO form the Colombian office that explains the functioning of a diverse multinational organization in the social and service industry.

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D AY 3MORNING

AFTERNOON

• Breakfast at Hostel• Construction Day – Techo para mi País• Collaboration with Colombian RoundSquare Schools Students• Students get involved in the on-ground operations through a

mass building project conducted by TECHO in a low income neighborhood of the city working in collaboration with their peers from a RoundSquare local school and the beneficiaries of the project.

• Lunch (Marcha)• Project Debrief• Dinner

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D AY 4 D AY 5MORNING ALL DAY• Breakfast at Hostel• Travel to the Airport• Flight Bogotá – Santa Marta• Buses Santa Marta – Guachaca• Jeeps 4x4 from Guachaca to El Mamey

• Trekking to to Camp 2The physical rigors of this trek in a foreign environment allow students to develop a new sense of their own capabilities. While the trek from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is challenging, there are ample opportunities to rest and re-plenish our energy. On the way, we pass through Mutanyi, a ceremonial village that the indigenous tribal leaders use for regular meetings and community-level decisions. In Mu-tanyi, students begin to recognize the different ways of life represented by indigenous communities.

• Kogui Culture WorkshopThe introduction to the Kogui Culture teaches students about the way indigenous communities live, think and interact with the world. We make emphasis on the hierarchy of the so-ciety and the customs and traditions passed down over the centuries.

AFTERNOON• Lunch at El Mamey• Trekking Mamey to Camp #1

The first day of trekking will be a 4-hour walk climbing up the mountain. Our transportation will leave us at el Mamey, a district of Guachaca town. While trekking up to the first camp, Envoys instructors lead students in methods of co-llectively assessing risks. This process helps students to properly assess the implications of walking up the mountain in a tropical region.

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D AY 6ALL DAY• Trekking to to Camp 3

Our walk from Camp 2 to Camp 3 takes about four hours, providing ample time to swim in the crystal clear waters of the Buritaca River before our arrival. Once we get to Camp 3, we enjoy lunch in the midst of the natural splendor.

• Story for HomeWhile we rest and recover, students are led by Envoys ins-tructors to construct video-taped “stories for home” about their experiences in Colombia so far. The process of storyte-lling enables students to reflect on their experiences and what lessons they draw from their time abroad.

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D AY 7ALL DAY• Visit Ciudad Perdida

We rise right before the sunrise and prepare ourselves to visit Colombia’s Lost City. While visiting the ceremonial hou-ses and terraces built by the indigenous peoples, students will be able to see for themselves the magnitude of the pla-ce and understand the archeological and cultural value for humanity.

While in the field, Envoys staff use the precepts of systems thinking to demonstrate the ‘stress points’ within the area. The creation of systems maps for the Lost City helps stu-dents to grasp the challenges that local authorities face to keep it intact.

During the early afternoon, we return to Camp 2.

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D AY 8ALL DAY• We rise early and hike back to El Mamey• Community Interaction

During the afternoon in El Mamey, we continue our explo-ration of the delicate balance between international tourism and the protection of cultural heritage. We speak with local community members about the positive and negative im-pacts that tourism has on their lives.

• Local SchoolWe also visit the local boarding school where children from all over the mountain come and study during the week. Facilitated by Envoys instructors, all students engage in a discussion session comparing values, attitudes, and daily behaviors.

• Travel from Mamey to Palimono in 4x4 Jeeps• Night in Palomino

D AY 9MORNING

AFTERNOON

• Breakfast• Palomino Communicative Challenges - Understanding Realities• We will embed ourselves into the community of Palomino life

and learn about a wide range of their livelihoods. We explore through giving students communicative challenges to learn from conversations with local members.

• Lunch• Beach Time• Hike to the Mouth of the Palomino River• We hike to the mouth of the Palomino River where we swim in

the fresh water and relax in the beautiful setting of the area. • Dinner at Lodge

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D AY 1 0

D AY 1 1

MORNING

ALL DAY

AFTERNOON

• Breakfast• Buses to Santa Marta• Visit Quinta de San Pedro• We visit the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino built in the 17th

century where Simón Bolivar died in 1830. A local guide leads us through the area and explains all the historical and arquitectonical highlights of the area.

• Breakfast• Program Debrief• Students will reflect on the experience and share their learning

with the rest of their peers. We assist them to consider the gains that they have made and the areas where improvement is need-ed, and create action plans for further development.

• Flight back home

• Lunch Downtown (Pizza loca or similar)• Walking Tour downtown Santa Marta• We spend the afternoon learning about the culture and land-

marks of Santa Marta. Split into groups with chaperones, students work their way through the town, talking to locals and gathering information to share while appreciating the beauty of town.

• Dinner (El Corral)• Flight Back to Bogotá• Check in at Hotel by the Airport (Habitel / Holiday Inn)

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Envoys works with students on a range of activities upon return-ing home, using both online and in-person meetings. These ac-tivities are designed to ensure that students are able to prove their understanding of the key academic concepts and informa-tion imparted during the preparatory and in-country lessons as well as the importance of design, narrative, and presentation in effectively imparting information. Finally , we scaffold individual students to reflect on the meaning of the trip and relation to their future plans and pursuits.

Post-Trip Activities

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Video Documentary

Students work in a group to create a documentary for their journey. This project can be set up as a team com-prising several roles, including script-writer, director, camera, editor, and on-screen talent.

The careful compilation of shots and painstaking editing required for a high-quality documentary film rein-force the ability to focus on details and create visually attractive media. More-over, the process of creating a narra-tive to carry the film fosters advance storytelling skills.

Future Advisement

Students create a compelling set of “must-knows” for future classes at em-barking on this program, including tips for preparation and work in-country. The advice can be delivered through videotaped skits, songs, tumblr sites, and presentations.

The process of providing advice en-ables reflection and crystalizes learn-ing for students. Furthermore, creative abilities are enhanced by the moti-vating force of a presentation to their peers.

Community Presentation and Photo Auction

Students give a presentation on their trip and take questions from the au-dience. Community members ‘bid’ on photos taken by students during the trip, with the proceeds benefiting next year’s program funds.

In the process of organizing the auc-tion, students build planning, design, and promotional skills. The presenta-tion develops the ability to speak in public and converse with adults, while the auction builds self-confidence and the ability to present items in an attrac-tive manner.

What is it? What is it? What is it?

What skills are developed?

What skills are developed? What skills are

developed?

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iBook Production

Individual students create websites or ibooks explaining aspects of the trip.The ibooks mix media together to tell a compelling story about the trip. These books are then shared across the school community.

Along with developing narrative skills, students expand their abilities to plan and execute visually powerful design using a range of media.

Systems Map

Students apply the principles of systems thinking to the trip and create a detailed map depicting the connections between local and global variables. They demon-strate how changes in certain variables can impact the system as a whole and what interventions are necessary to avoid catastrophe.

Students build the ability to see the world as a dynamic and interrelated system. Furthermore, creating an un-derstandable map requires the devel-opment of design, narrative, and pre-sentation skills.

What is it? What is it?

What skills are developed?

What skills are developed?

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devicemagic

PRIVATE SEARCH & RESCUE SERVICE

SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

ADVANCED CHECKLIST SYSTEM

EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE TRAINING

ONLINE TRACKING SYSTEM

FIELD MEDICAL STAFF

How we manage safety

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PlanningAll destinations receive a regular and thorough review by Envoys internal safety committee, including point-by-point checks of trans-port, accommodation, and dining establishments.

Our medical team assesses each destination for particular health risks and creates a customized medical kit for field staff to carry while abroad.

PreparationEnvoys has a custom-built proprietary online platform to ensure a constant flow of information from the field. Envoys staff provide real-time locations, photos, videos, postings, and Twitter feeds on trip activities. Our staff carry satellite phones, local cell pho-nes, GPS transponders and two-way radios to maintain contact from the field to our school partners, our head offices, and families. .

All students participating in an Envoys program are required to pass our Travel Health and Safety course and demonstrate un-derstanding of the situational awareness necessary for safety while abroad.

ProtectionEnvoys provides insurance coverage for rescue, hospitalization, evacuation, repatriation, and medical emergencies for all pro-gram participants.

As a final safety measure for selected destinations, Envoys utili-zes the private Global Rescue and GEOS IERCC services, which provide 24-hour coordination of worldwide search-and-rescue and evacuation.

Envoys assumes a duty of care for the partici-pants on our programs. While no one can gua-rantee freedom from harm, we undertake a mul-ti-stage process to mitigate risk.

How we approach risk

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Price Chart Prices include • Online course • Development and

implementation

Prices are based on a minimum of 10/15/20 Students.

Prices include internal flights only. International flights are not included.

StudentsFaculty

MembersEnvoys Staff

Members Houses BuiltDoctor in Ciudad

Perdida Trek

Price per student in US

Dollars20 3 2 2 Yes $2,60015 2 2 2 Yes $2,85010 2 2 1 Yes $3,150

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• Design of itineraries and activities based on guidelines

provided by the school.

• Design and implementation of online courses to a reason-

able and mutually agreed-on extent.

• Leadership of all activities described in the itineraries. Ac-

ademic activities will be led jointly with the team of teach-

ers attending the trip. Teachers are expected to provide

support during non-academic activities.

• All meals (daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and morning and

afternoon snacks).

• Multiple accommodations for students and teachers in ho-

tels, hostels, campsites or locally operated lodges according

to the description of each itinerary.

• All air, land, and water transportation as described in

each itinerary.

PRICES INDICATED IN THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDE:

• Group equipment required for each activity. Students

must secure their personal equipment as indicated in the

corresponding packing lists of the respective trip.

• Search and Rescue, Evacuation, and Medical insurance for

each student and teacher. Coverage limits apply.

• Prices in this proposal will be subject to change upon re-

quests of changes to the itinerary by the school.

• Prices of air tickets are subject to change pending approv-

al of this proposal by the school. Taxes and surcharges may

be subject to change by the government or airlines; in such

event, changes will be reflected in the final per-student

price.

Terms and Conditions

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• Multiple direct payment options for parents: Online, cred-

it and debit cards and wire transfers. Envoys will conduct

regular payment reminders to parents upon reception of

the corresponding databases from the school.

• Online Registrations will be available for parents.

• Real-time online tracking system for parents in-

cludes satellite location, pictures, video and updates.

Amount and type of information in the feed may vary

depending on the corresponding destination.

• Envoys senior staff will regularly visit with school faculty

for trip preparation and preparatory course delivery.

• Multiple parent, teacher and student meetings for

each trip.

• A minimum of one day will be devoted to Teacher/

Counselor Training.

PAYMENTS, REGISTRATIONS, TRACKING SERVICES.

CANCELLATIONS AND CHANGES

PLANNING AND INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS

• Cancellations originating from a duly documented

safety warning issued by the US Embassy will involve

no cancellation fees. Envoys will reimburse 100% of

land and air portions to parents.

• Cancellations by parents will be managed according to

the following policy:If cancellation is made 90 days

before the program starts:

-80% refund of the amount paid.

• Between 90 and 45 days:

-50% refund of the amount paid.

• Less than 45 days

-no refund will be given

Cambridge, MA 02142

One Broadway

14th Floor

1 (800) 515 6523

www.envoys.com

info@envoys.com

ENVOYS INTERNATIONAL

Bogotá – Colombia

Cra. 11B # 98-08 Of: 501

PBX: (571) 6910684