Service Learning Programs offer St. Jerome’s students the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on an external community, and grow their view of the world and themselves in a unique way. Our four programs that are run on a regular basis are Beyond Borders, SJU in Peru, BeyondU, and Encounter KW. This post focuses on the Beyond Borders program. 

 

 

The Beyond Borders program is an academically centered, international service-learning experience offered at St. Jerome’s University. This program is open to all University of Waterloo students. 

 

The program consists of pre-departure academic coursework for credit, a part-time local volunteer placement, and then a 90-day placement with a grassroots development organization abroad. There are many possible placement locations including Uganda, Peru, Guatemala, and Ukraine. 

 

The program qualifies as a co-op credit, Global Experience Certificate (GEC) international experience, and EDGE off-campus experience milestone. Opportunities to qualify the experience for a field course, research project, or directed studies course are also available. 

 

For this post, we are interviewing Lana, a participant in the 2018-19 Beyond Borders program! Lana is in her third year of Honours Arts and Business, studying Political Science and International Studies. 

 

 

What organization did you volunteer for, and what position did you hold? 
Lana: I volunteered at Maya Traditions Foundation Guatemala, as a Development Coordinator. 

 

Why did you decide to pursue an International Experience? Why did you decide to go to Guatemala? 
L: I always wanted to do an international experience during my undergraduate degree, since I did an exchange to France in Grade 10 and loved it. I was super eager when applying to universities, and had already scouted out Beyond Borders as a program that I wanted to take part in at some point in my university career.

 

As well, I was eager to portray a country that is often portrayed in one light, a country I only knew as a single story. I felt this would be very helpful in broadening my worldview as a Political Science student, International Studies minor, and conscious citizen. 

 

Did you go alone? 
L: The Beyond Borders program pairs students up in the term prior to going abroad, so that you have a chance to get to know your travel buddy. I was able to get to know my travel partner Lucie through our pre-departure retreats, local volunteering, and the course (Justice, Peace, and Development) that all program participants are required to take prior to departure. This gave us ample time to get to know each other, so that we were able to support each other throughout our journey. 

 

 

What did you do as a Development Coordinator for Maya Traditions Foundation Guatemala? 
L: For the most part, I did a lot of communications and fundraising work. This involved a variety of different things, including: 

 

•    Grant writing and research 
•    Updating website pages 
•    Video editing 
•    Content creation for blogs, newsletters, and annual reports 
•    Analyzing programs within the organization 

 

I got to do some other cool things through the organization as well, including visiting communities that we partnered with to see how they weave textiles and baskets, learn about their history, and have meals with the women.

 

I was also able to learn how to make soap using medicinal plants typically found in the herbal gardens of our partner communities. One of my favourite things that I got to did is sitting on my coffee table right now! I was taught how to make a piece of textile (that I use as a table runner) in the ancient indigenous art of backstrap weaving. This was a day well spent, and will be a physical reminder of my experience for years to come. 

 

 

Media Folder:  Media Root

Media Folder:  Media Root

Media Folder:  Media Root

On her days off, Lana had opportunities to climb Indian Nose Mountain, try her hand at the indigenous art of backstrap weaving, and paraglide around Lake Atitlan.

 

How has this experience been valuable to you? 
L: This experience has given me so many things. I grew my knowledge of Spanish language, experienced a new culture, and built skills around cross cultural communication. As well, working with an organization that was very focused on acting in partnership with those they served expanded my appreciation for indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge. 

I was also lucky to be in Guatemala during an election. I was able to connect what I had learned about the socio-political history of Guatemala to real events unfolding in front of me. 
I really enjoyed the purpose oriented NGO atmosphere. This experience has also sparked an even bigger passion within me to work for other non-profit organizations, doing work that positively impacts people in tangible ways. 

 

Why should students choose to do an international placement within Beyond Borders? 
L: Any international experience is going to get you out of your bubble, throw you into unknown situations, and initiate growth. Beyond Borders does a really good job of preparing you for the growth that you are going to experience abroad. This has by far been the best thing I’ve done in my university career and will be something I continue to look back on and reference in conversations for years to come.

I also recognize that traveling is a privilege that I feel very grateful to have been able to do. Beyond Borders recognizes this and thus subsidizes the student experience so going abroad is more manageable. Our program coordinator Michelle is also very helpful at pointing out funding opportunities for international experiences within St. Jerome’s and the University of Waterloo.