Current    |      Past

Ecuador Study and Leadership Program
March 2008

The Ecuador program is an incredible journey filled with breathtaking scenery, grassroots
service learning, and inspirational people. The trip is based in the Chimborazo province in
central Ecuador, where participants visit and volunteer in small communities in the heart
of the Andes mountain range.

In partnership with local non-government organizations, participants engage in service
learning activities with local organizations, and learn firsthand about conservation,
biodiversity and rural development issues through interactive seminars and fieldtrips.
Living among the indigenous Puruhae community also provides opportunities for
participants to learn and enhance their Spanish, and even to learn a bit of the local
language, Quechua. The Ecuador program is a rugged adventure for individuals who
appreciate natural beauty and who want to learn firsthand about the importance of helping
others through sustainable development.

Service Learning
A unique and distinguishing component of this program is the concept of “service learning”.  Service learning can be identified as experiential education when the learner adopts a life role that provides meaningful service to a community in order to learn about oneself and others.  The pedagogical value of the service increases when the following are added to the learning:  an academic component designed to prepare the learner in terms of content and competencies relevant to the service; an opportunity to reflect upon and think critically about the experience; an element of adventure and challenge; an international and cross-cultural context; and an alignment of individual, placement, and system goals. 

Affiliation
The delivery of this program is in conjunction with Free The Children and Leaders Today. Co-founded by Marc and Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has earned world-wide recognition for its dedication in eradicating child labour throughout the world.  One of its programs, entitled Leaders Today, is devoted to youth leadership and has established program sites around the world.

Participants

Youth
Approximately 15 young people will be selected for admission to this program and will include primarily high school students.  This number has been governed by the practical exigencies of traveling to this area of the world.  Participants will be selected according to the following criteria:
 
            1.        Trustworthiness and reliability
            2.        Respectfulness of other people and cultures
            3.        Adaptability to new experiences
            4.        Fitness
            5.        Pleasant disposition
           
Interested students will be invited to submit an application and two letters of reference attesting to their suitability according to the criteria cited above. 

Code of Conduct
Each student will be expected to pledge commitment to a Code of Conduct,  which will be designed to ensure that respect for each participant, his/her property, and well-being is safeguarded.  This code will preclude harassment and abusiveness and will prohibit the use of alcohol and drugs.  Above all, the rights and responsibilities of all participants will be clearly defined so that the objectives of this program may be achieved within a healthy and safe environment. 

Interviews
Each applicant will be invited to a private interview with the Directors to assess his/her suitability for the program. This will also give the applicant the opportunity to determine if the program serves his/her needs and interests. Students will be asked to bring their letters of reference to this meeting.

Program Design
The program will consist of a learning program, conducted before departure, followed by the trip to Ecuador. The pre-trip program is meant to sensitize participants to issues involving this part of the world, develop rapport between participants, and deal with health and safety concerns. Participants will be asked to select and explore a topic of personal interest related to theme pertaining to Ecuador (history, politics, geography, wildlife, spirituality, etc.) and share it with the group.  This is not meant to be burdensome but rather is intended to give participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Ecuador and thereby maximize their experience. There will be 4 meetings arranged according to the following schedule: 

Reading List
A short reading list will be provided at a later date.


Journaling
Daily journal writing will be an essential component of the program. A composite journal with volunteer submissions from all participants will be compiled and offered to all participants at the end of the experience as a memory of our shared experience.

Service and Leadership Opportunities

1. Community development: Meet community needs through meaningful involvement.
   
   
2. Issues education: Hands-on exploration of issues like indigenous rights and the environment.
   
   
3. Environmental Education: Learn firsthand about conservation, biodiversity and rural development issues through interactive seminars and fieldtrips.
   
   
4. Cultural education: Connect with local traditions through stories, food, song, and dance.
   
   

Travel dates 
March 7, 2008 until March 22, 2008

Sample Itinerary:  This itinerary is intended to highlight the types of activities will be doing and some of the locations we will be visiting.  You will receive an itinerary specific to your trip before you depart.     

Travel Arrangements

Transportation
Local transportation will be organized and provided by the Leaders Today lorry/bus.  International air travel will be provided by a reputable national carrier. In recent years this has been British Airways.

                                              
Accommodation
In Ecuador, the accommodations will be provided by the Free The Children/Leaders Today organization.  The adult supervisors will always reside in close proximity to the student residences.  Appropriate separation between genders will always be ensured in these residences.  The camp is also supervised by both Canadian and local employees of Leaders Today.

Participants will spend the majority of their time at innovative community-developed and community operated eco-tourism projects in the Andes mountains. These community developed projects have been frequented by Leaders Today and provide a sustainable source of income for the local community. Profits are often reinvested into the local school to provide vocational training, transport and lunch programs. These facilities are fully equipped with separate bunk bed accommodations for both males and females, a group meeting room and a dining hall. In Quito, participants will be hosted at friendly and secure hostels that Leaders Today facilitators have stayed at in the past. The cloud forest retreat offers truly world-class facilities in an award-winning example of community involvement and sustainability.

Environment

Ecuador is a country uniquely endowed with dramatic topography and a variety of climates, vegetation, birds and wildlife.  Ecuador’s landscape ranges from the tropical mangrove forests to the Galapagos Islands to the Amazon rainforest to the Andean mountains—in the landscape alone, Ecuador has something for everyone. Free The Children’s school building projects are located in the Chimborazo province, a rural area endowed with cultural history and breathtaking natural beauty.  Participants will travel extensively through the Andean mountains and the misty cloud forests, where rainforest like conditions are created in the mountains . Beautiful volcanoes, snow-topped peaks and biologically diverse forests provide a backdrop for the trip once the group leaves the bustling city of Quito. You will be able to see the incredible natural beauty alongside the environmental degradation such as deforestation that hinders the agricultural communities in the Andes.

Language
While Spanish is spoken by almost all Ecuadorians, the first language of the Puruhae people is Quechua. You will have an opportunity to improve your Spanish skills, learn some Quechua and possibly teach English. Your lead facilitator will be fluent in Spanish and therefore able to translate all community-led sessions and guided walks. This also means your lead facilitator will also be able to take care of all logistical and medical situations.

Food and Water

Finances
Participants will be charged a single fee of approximately $3695, which will cover return airfare from Toronto to Ecuador, all travel expenses within the country, meals, accommodations, training materials and donations to the local communities.

Payment will be made by regular installments according to the following schedule:
            $500                Deposit accompanying application
            $1,065             January 13, 2007
            $1,065             February 10, 2008
            $1,065             March 2, 2008
           
Note: Participants are asked to submit a series of postdated cheques according to this schedule. Cheques should be made payable to Adventure Learning Experiences Inc.

Fundraising

Fundraising activities will be supported by the authors.  In particular, the principal endeavour will be a booklet which will describe the features and participants of the program.  The sale of advertisements in the booklet will be directly subtracted from the fee charged to individual participants, with a nominal charge for the cost of printing the booklets. 

Other Costs

The only other costs that are not included in the above price are the following:

            Passport (this must not expire within 6 months of departure)
            Out-of-country health insurance                     
            Flying Doctor Insurance                                  $50 US to be purchased in Nairobi
            Inoculations (depending upon one’s private insurance coverage)
            End-of-trip banquet                                         $25 US
            Private expenses

Health and Safety
Careful attention to sound health and safety practices will be an important part in the preparation of the program.  This will involve mandatory immunizations, learning healthy eating and drinking habits, and understanding effective illness prevention practices.  An attempt will be made to have a registered nurse accompany each group.  For maximum benefit it is recommended that participants, in general, be in good health and achieve a sufficient level of fitness prior to the trip.  Physical and dental check-ups are highly recommended prior to the departure date.   

Precautions

As indicated above, careful preparation prior to departure about safe eating and drinking habits and illness prevention practices will be undertaken.  Participants will be expected to purchase “The Travel Doctor” by Dr. Mark Wise (Firefly Books, 2002) as part of this preparation.  A close working relationship has been developed by the authors with Dr. Mark Wise.  Dr. Wise is a family physician in Thornhill whose medical practice includes a travel clinic. He  is considered a leading authority in tropical and parasitic diseases.  Dr. Wise will conduct a 90 minute training workshop about preventative health practices for our students prior to departure and will make recommendations about appropriate inoculations.

It is expected that our groups will greatly benefit from the local contacts which the authors have established in Ecuador with Leaders Today in the event that medical care is required. Each participant will be expected to purchase out-of-country health insurance. In addition, each participant will be expected to purchase evacuation insurance, called Flying Doctor insurance, upon arrival in Ecuador at a cost of $50 US. This will guarantee emergency airline service from an airstrip near the Leadership centre to a leading  medical clinic in Ecuador. In addition, Dr. Lato and Mr. Rogers are both members of the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT). 

It is most strongly recommended that each participant seek proper medical advice for all potential health concerns at a travel health clinic prior to departure. 

It is advised that each participant complete the Consent to Medical Treatment Form in the event that urgent and emergency care is required.

• Meet community needs through meaningful involvement
• Hands-on exploration of issues like indigenous rights and the environment
• Experience Ecuador's unique ecosystem, one of the world's most bio-diverse
• Connect with local traditions through stories, food, song and dance