July 7-15, 2012: Educators Workshop in Nicaragua

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Engage in dialogue about community-based service-learning that involves concepts of sustainability, organic agriculture and environmental restoration.

Through activities in our schools, at our training center and afternoon visits to SHI family farms, participants will develop and share curriculum ideas that can be brought back to their home schools. All participants will be able to shape the service-learning curriculum guide that will be produced at the end of the trip. Participants will be exposed to rural culture through homestays and other cultural activities - and even relax a bit in the subtropical sunshine!

This trip will be somewhat strenuous. Trip participants will be far away from the usual comforts of the city for several days, and will stay with host families. Not all of the trip will be work, as we also plan on either a couple of days on the beaches of a tropical island or a hike to the summit of a Nicaraguan volcano.

Click here to see a list of travel grants available for educators.

READY TO TRAVEL? Contact us to register for an upcoming tour or to plan one for your group! On Facebook? RSVP to this trip.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY*

Saturday, July 7: Arrival

Group arrives at Managua airport
Tour of monumental center
Group dinner at Casa de Felipe Godoy Mejia
Orientation, discussion of trip schedule and objectives
Group will stay at Hotel Las Mercedes

Sunday, July 8: Move to Bluefields

Breakfast at hotel
Morning flight to Bluefields on La Costena (~ 1 hr)
Group checks in to Oasis Hotel
Introduction of SHI-Nicargua field staff, tour of Bluefields demo farm
Lunch at the demo farm
Afternoon workshop themes: mapping exercise, “what is stewardship?”
Group dinner and reflection
Group will stay at Oasis Hotel

Monday, July 9: Move to Kukra Hill Work Site

Breakfast at hotel
Group moves to Kukra Hill work site by boat (~ 5 hrs)
Lunch in the community
Afternoon family visits: SHI overview, “defining place”
Evening reflection
Dinner and lodging with host families (2 persons + per family)

Tuesday, July 10: Kukra Hill

Breakfast with host families
Morning work project: reforestation, tree maintenance
Lunch in the community
Walk through community forest reserve
Afternoon workshop theme: nurturing a connection to local resources
Evening reflection
Dinner and lodging with host families

Wednesday, July 11: Kukra Hill

Breakfast with host families
Morning school activity: vegetable production, elaboration of organic fertilizers
Lunch in the community
Afternoon workshop theme: integrated, sustainable production
Evening reflection
Dinner and lodging with host families

Thursday, July 12: Kukra Hill

Breakfast with host families
Morning work project: wood-conserving stoves, biodigesters
Lunch in the community
Afternoon workshop theme: community well-being
Visit to local natural feature or cane press
Evening reflection and cultural exchange
Dinner and lodging with host families

Friday, July 13: Kukra Hill to the Corn Islands

Breakfast with host families
Morning workshop theme: taking action
Recognition of participants
Departure for Bluefield by boat (~ 5 hrs), flight to Big Corn Island
Group dinner and reflection
Group will stay at hotel (TBD)

Saturday, July 14: R&R in the Corn Islands

Free time: snorkeling, souvenir shopping, hiking, relaxing
Group dinner and reflection
Evaluations
Group will stay at hotel (TBD)

Sunday, July 15: Departure for Managua (and Beyond)

Morning departure for Managua by plane on La Costena (~ 1.5 hrs)

* Smaller World Tour itineraries are shaped by the requests of SHI's Central American field trainers and the farming communities we serve. Trip participants work alongside local staff and families and we do our best to match groups with activities that fit their interests, skills and schedules. Each Smaller World Tour is accompanied by an SHI trip leader who coordinates the group's activities on the ground. Specific projects and plans may change and we request that volunteers keep an open mind and remain flexible during their trip.

Seedlings TRAVEL COSTS
The cost for this trip is $1,500 per person. This total includes project materials and supplies, flights between Managua and Bluefields and all other in-country transportation, rustic accommodations with a host family, and double occupancy hotel accommodations when we visit tourist areas, meals and guide / translation service. In addition, 20% of your program fee supports the local projects you'll be working on in the field.

A deposit of $300 should be sent in with your registration form. The balance $1,200 is due to be paid 60 days prior to the trip departure date. If travel funding is an issue for you, don't hesitate to fundraise for your trip expenses. Visit our fundraising idea page or contact our office for more information.

READY TO TRAVEL? Contact us to register for an upcoming tour or to plan one for your group!