SAGE: Culture and Ecology of Ecuador for Educators

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito
• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Banos,  Otavalo

Term: Summer 
Dates: June 24 - July 8, 2009

Description: The SAGE "Culture and Ecology of Ecuador" trip is not a prescribed "tour" of Ecuador. It is an educational adventure designed to be inquiry based, where each participant will be guided by their own question. A variety of themes will be explored by the entire group, but within each theme, each individual is encouraged to be responsible for your own process of exploration. Time will be set aside for regular discussion and sharing. Whether you are a social studies or science teacher, school librarian or principal, this trip will allow you to explore the Ecuador that YOU are interested in. Lesson plans which result from this trip will be shared and distributed to other members of the trip by permission.

Highlights: Your exploration of the culture and ecology of Ecuador begins in the capital city of Quito. During the first few days, a wealth of material will be presented via lectures from local experts, and site visits related to the ethnic diversity and biodiversity of Ecuador. In and around Quito you will visit the San Francisco Cathedral, giving a sense of the grandeur of colonial conquest envisioned by the Spanish; the Tambo Quinde Cloud Forest Reserve, where a local biologist will give an overview of the cloud forest ecosystem; and la Mitad del Mundo, the crossing of the Equator which gives Ecuador its name.

From Quito you will visit the world famous Otavalo market, where topics for study and observation will include family values, traditions and fiestas, music and dance, education, micro-business, society, politics, native myths, and healers. In the nearby indigenous community of Runatupari, you will learn about social and political organization, native healing and myth, as well as education and business. Continuing north, you will visit the Afro-Ecuadorian cultures of the Chota Valley, providing an introduction to a contrasting culture from the native Quichuas of the Northern Highlands.

You will then return to Quito, before heading off on the second section of your adventure to the Southern Highlands: first to Baños the gateway to the Amazon Rainforest, and then to the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca and its surroundings.    Baños is rich in cultural heritage as well as in natural phenomenon. The Cathedral in Baños provides rich material for cultural and religious analysis, and presentations from local biologists will impress you both with the fragile nature of the surrounding ecosystem as well as the incredible local biodiversity. You then travel by bus through the mostly rural spectacular Southern Highlands, catching glimpses of Volcano Tunguragua, or Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak, on the way to Cuenca. Your time in Cuenca will focus on the impressive colonial architecture framed by the four rivers of the city, the arts and crafts of the region with the production of filigree silver jewelry, ceramics, and the famous "Panama" straw hats, and finally day trips to the Ingapirca ruins and the Cajas lakes region.

A return flight to Quito followed by a farewell dinner brings an end to fourteen incredible days in Ecuador, packed with the learning about diverse ethnic groups and representative regions from the very diverse ecosystems of the country. Participants will not only take away an incredible experience, but they will also gain new strategies for teaching ethnic diversity and conservation in the classroom.

Cost in US$: $2800 (double occupancy; single room extra)

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home
• Alumni Network

Studies Abroad for Global Education (SAGE)'s Mission Statement: The SAGE Program offers youth and educators the opportunity to travel and study abroad as a way to gain greater understanding of the world and themselves.

Year Founded: 1992