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Greetings, United Students Against Sweatshops has entered an exciting new study abroad partnership with Global Exchange in Venezuela! The 12 week program in Venezuela gives participants the unique chance to take classes at the prestigious Universidad de Los Andes and to meet with community activists organizing for change in the following areas: workers' rights, popular economy, health care, education, community media, women's empowerment and agricultural reform. Check out the attached brochure for more info! Why study abroad in Venezuela? Geo-politically speaking, Venezuela is one of the most important countries in contemporary Latin America. People's movements in Venezuela have been creating new social development models based on community empowerment, cooperative work relations, and participatory democracy. Venezuela's popular rejection of corporate-driven development model in the caracazo (wave of protests) of 1989 and its three time election of Hugo Chávez Frías as president in 1998, 2000, and 2006 has made this nation of tremendous oil and natural wealth a center of attention for those seeking to redefine the political and economic landscape of the Western Hemisphere. Yet, much of the attention being focused on the country from journalists, pundits, academics, and students alike remains superficial. Either acerbic criticism of the 'dictatorial' Chávez government or unwavering praise for the 'Bolivarian Revolution' dominate the discourse surrounding contemporary Venezuela. The reality is that Venezuela, like any nation, has a complex history of social relations which cannot be easily categorized into simple binaries of pro- and anti- government or chavista and escualido. Global Exchange has been working to remedy this lack of perspective by creating links between community activists in Venezuela and program participants from North America and Europe. It is this experience of collaboration that inspired Global Exchange?s semester-long study abroad program in the Andean city of Mérida. USAS is excited to partner with Global Exchange in these efforts. Our model of student-labor solidarity involves building a global justice movement that is rooted in deep analysis and political education. As students in the Global North, we believe we cannot accomplish this without creating real relationships between our campus-communities and communities in the Global South. Curriculum The study abroad curriculum combines classroom learning and community engagement and is broken down into three components: Spanish language courses, Venezuelan society courses and community visits. Students are exposed to a variety of theoretical and practical issues related to Venezuela's social transformation and are provided with the opportunity to learn from the community members working in the government's missions as well as grassroots activists involved in change from the bottom up.
Costs
The cost for the 12 week program is $8,175 and includes:
USAS will receive a small stipend for each USAS participant. Participants will be able to get college credit and fund the grassroots youth movement for economic justice at the same time! How to Apply Application deadline for Fall 2009: June 15, 2009 Dates for Program: First week of September - First week of December For more information and details of how to apply, check out the study abroad website here: http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/venezuela/merida If you have any questions about the program, contact Edward at Global Exchange at edward@globalexchange.org. If you have any questions about USAS' involvement, contact Salma at salma@usas.org. |
